


Thank Chuck For Karaoke

by darkwings17



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Everyone Ships Castiel/Dean Winchester, F/F, F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, Happy Ending, Karaoke, Light Angst, M/M, POV Castiel (Supernatural), POV Dean Winchester, Singer Dean Winchester, Teacher Castiel (Supernatural), oblivious boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:54:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25923172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkwings17/pseuds/darkwings17
Summary: Dean Winchester is on tour with his band away from home, but when an unexpected change in schedule gives them a week off, they take full advantage with a quick detour home.Castiel is a high school English teacher who has a passion for poetry and karaoke.A chance meeting (and some meddling friends) on a small stage can lead to something pretty big and awesome.
Relationships: Andrea Kormos/Benny Lafitte, Castiel/Dean Winchester, Dorothy Baum/Charlie Bradbury, Jessica Moore/Sam Winchester
Comments: 59
Kudos: 113





	1. DEAN

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hadrianus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hadrianus/gifts).



> Hey y'all!! I saw this prompt on [the PB Discord](https://discord.gg/profoundbond) and fell in love with it instantly. I was expecting a cute little one shot, but the story grew into this and so that's what we are all getting. I have only one chapter left to write and will be posting every fee days to give me time to finish it. Hope y'all enjoy!
> 
> Also thank you thank you thank you so much to my incredible beta, [Orange_Coyote](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orange_Coyote/pseuds/Orange_Coyote) , for finding my (many) errors and helping me push the story line along!
> 
> Prompt:  
> Dean is in a band with Sam and whoever else with Bobby as their manager.  
> Cas is an English teacher who goes to the Roadhouse on karaoke night.  
> Dean is in town and decides to stop by the Roadhouse to catch up with Ellen, it just so happens to be karaoke night.

The tour bus rumbles along to its next destination, jostling its occupants slightly with each bump. Inside you have one man trying to nap on the couch, a woman doing who knows what on a laptop, and another man strumming on his guitar. And then there's a man disturbing the peace by talking on the phone.

“Yeah, alright I’ll let them know. Thanks Bobby,” Sam says into the phone, coming out of the back room and causing Dean to stop messing with his guitar to look at his brother. Benny wakes up from his nap and sits up on the couch, rubbing at his eyes before repositioning his black cap on his head. Charlie doesn’t bother to look up from her laptop, but she does pull her headphones off so she can hear better. 

“What’s up with that grumpy old man?” Dean asks light heartedly once Sam hangs up. Bobby took up managing their band after their original manager took advantage of them and things went south. Luckily for the band, Bobby was able to step up and take over without much fanfare. Since then the band has been nothing but successful. A couple years back Bobby ended up in a horrible car accident leaving him paralyzsed from the waist down. That unfortunately means he doesn’t travel with them anymore, but he is able to do all of his management work from his home in Sioux Falls. Plus the old man will travel to one of their shows close by each year. Just to check up on them and make sure the idjits aren’t messing things up while he’s not around. 

“So get this, there’s a change in our schedule,” Sam explains, but doesn’t go into any more detail. Instead he continues focusing on his phone, completely ignoring the expectant looks from Dean and Benny. 

Charlie rolls her eyes, finally looking up from her laptop. “We’re not mind readers here, Samwich. What’s the change?”

“Our shows in Dallas got cancelled,” Sam continues. “Well rescheduled technically, for the end of the tour.”

“What!” Dean exclaims. They were supposed to be heading to Texas in two days for their concerts next week. Already he can feel his temper rising; how  _ dare _ they cancel their show?

“What happened brother?” Benny asks from the table, clearly more level headed than Dean. 

“The venue got a better offer from some super high up people in Europe or something and they could only do it next weekend so we got rescheduled.” 

“Are they even allowed to do that?? What about the fans?” Dean asks. What kind of people have enough power to rent out an entire venue when it's already booked for something else? It's not like the venue is small either! Dallas is usually one of their larger shows.

“Bobby made sure all the fans got to keep their tickets for the rescheduled dates or a full refund if they can’t make the new dates,” Sam explains.

Dean grumbles a little, but lets it go. Hopefully their fans won't mind too much and will still be able to make the rescheduled show. 

“Is everything else staying on schedule then?” Charlie asks. 

“Yep. We just have about a week to get to Oklahoma City for our next show,” Sam says. “Until then we have some freedom on what we want to do.” 

Dean perks up at that. They have basically a whole week off from their nine month tour. They’re already seven and a half in with very little break time for any of them. The last break they had was a week back in December for Christmas, and that was three months ago. They’ve been just going, going, going from city to city performing for thousands of people almost every night. And now they have a whole week off with no responsibilities. Dean can’t wait to have that time to relax. 

“A week you say?” Benny asks, already pulling out his phone, probably to call his wife, Andrea. 

The other three all look at each other and Dean can tell they’re all thinking the same thing. A grin slowly starts to grow on Dean's face. 

“LET'S GO HOME!” Charlie all but screams. Dean's smile grows even more and somehow he finds himself basically dancing with the redhead in the narrow open space of the moving bus with matching smiles. They laugh and force Sam to join them until a sharp turn sends them tumbling into the couch and table.

Benny comes back and fills them in that he’s getting a flight from Denver to Louisiana as soon as their last show is done, then he will meet them in Oklahoma in time for their next show. The group happily agrees and the other three finalize their plan to road trip back to Lawrence after their show in Denver. Sam has already talked to Jess, and Charlie calls Dorothy to let her know Dean and Charlie will be back at the house they all share for a few nights next week. 

Seeing all of his friends calling their significant others causes a sharp pain to shoot through Dean. He’s happy for his friends and loves all of them, but sometimes he wishes he had a loved one to call saying he was coming home. Dean never really had the time to look for someone and settle down. Growing up he put all of his focus in Sam and his music. Their mom died when Sam was only a baby and their dad passed away from a heart attack when Dean was eighteen. Luckily Dean had already graduated high school and was working at the local garage, so he was able to get custody of Sam. Dean worked and any free time he had, he focused on his music. 

Sure he had the one night stands he picked up from bars. He even attempted a relationship with a woman named Lisa. But Lisa had a kid and was busy with her own life. The two just didn’t have enough time for each other and parted ways after a couple months. Dean went back to the one night stands after that, but quickly got tired of them. Every now and then he’d find an attractive man or woman to go home with, but it started happening less and less as time went on. Eventually they stopped altogether. 

Around that time Sam had graduated from high school and they started the band. Charlie and Sam are the same age and have been friends since childhood. Dean sees her as his little sister since she spent the majority of her time in high school at their place. The redhead is the smartest person he knows and is a complete wiz on the computer. After graduation she chose to stay with the brothers and start the band with them. She’s just as much of a wiz on the keyboard as she is on the computer. Dean used to make fun of her for having magic fingers which she then turned into a thrilling (horrifying) description of her sex life with her girlfriend. He never made that mistake again. 

Benny was off on a road trip by himself when his car broke down in Lawrence. Dean was able to help him, but the part they needed wouldn't be available for a few days. With nowhere to go, Dean offered to buy the guy a beer. They ended up at the roadhouse and hit it off immediately. Dean even considered asking Benny back to his place for the night, until the blue eyed man talked about the love of his life, Andrea. Benny talked about how he dreamed of traveling and seeing more of the world since he’d never really left Louisiana. Dean asked him if he could play an instrument or sing and when Benny said he had a guitar, Dean invited him to join their band immediately. Two years later and the four of them leave for their first tour. With Sam on the drums, Charlie on the keyboard, Benny on the guitar, and Dean singing, they actually sounded pretty awesome. 

Flash forward another four years and they are working their way to becoming one of the more popular bands in the US. That is until two of their shows get cancelled and rescheduled. Dean shakes off the change in schedule and his feelings of being lonely to focus on their upcoming show. 

The show in Denver goes over smoothly and before they know it, Benny is in a cab heading for the airport and the other three pile back into the tour bus to take them to the hotel for the night.They decided that it would be best to rent a car to drive back to Lawrence instead of taking the giant tour bus. It would take longer and they would bring a lot more attention to themselves if they did, which is the last thing they want. All of them love their fans, but when they're back home they want to just be themselves without the pressure of their image. So they will rent an average car (poor Baby is still in the garage back in Lawrence) and drive home, then in a week's time they will meet the tour bus and Benny in Oklahoma for their next concert. As much as Dean wants to head straight to Kansas, Sam talks him into staying the night in Denver after their show. When he reaches his room and flops onto the bed, Dean is very grateful his brother talked him into leaving the next morning. Performing is hard and exhausting work; they all deserve a good night's rest.

Naturally, Dean wakes up early the next day. Years on the road have conditioned him to only need a few hours of sleep each night to get through the day. He also takes advantage of naps whenever possible. Charlie is still probably passed out in her room. The girl will sleep to the very last moment if she is able to. Sam, on the other hand, is probably already up and out for his morning jog around the city. Dean will never understand his brother’s need for exercise and rabbit food. Not wanting to waste any more time before hitting the road, Dean gets up and showers before going down to the lobby to get coffee for the three of them. Sam walks by him, covered in a light sheen of sweat, and grabs his coffee before they ride the elevator back up to their floor. They’ve done this same routine every day for years now; they don’t even have to say a word to each other as Sam stops at his room and Dean continues to Charlie’s to wake her up. Half an hour later the band members are caffeinated up, sitting in a generic Honda Civic on their way home. 

The next eight hours go by quickly. The three of them are used to many hours on the road, however with Dean driving it's a nice change of pace from getting shuttled around on the bus. They pull up to Sam's house first to drop him off with his girlfriend. Jess is already there waiting for them and insists on feeding them a late lunch since she knows Dean and Charlie only ate cheap gas station food the whole day. She’s not wrong, but Dean still feels a little called out. He grumbles a bit and Jess just rolls her eyes. Sam is one lucky sonofabitch to have Jess as his partner. The woman is a literal godsend and takes no shit from any of them. Dean is very thankful for the yummy meal from the wonderful woman and loves her even more when she brings out the homemade cherry pie. Years ago Sam said Jess couldn’t bake anything to save her life, but she spent weeks perfecting a cherry pie recipe just for Dean. Dean almost proposed to her right then and there.

“Mmmm. Jess, I love you so much. If Sammy doesn’t hurry up and pop the question I might just have to steal ya away from him, especially if you keep making me pies,” Dean says around a mouthful of said pie. 

The girls chuckle and Sam just flips him the finger, causing Dean to smile around a mouthful of delicious cherry pie. Seriously though, Sam better ask her to marry him quick, before Jess beats him to it.

Eventually Dean and Charlie say their goodbyes and head to their own place. It’s still early when they get there, but Dean's exhausted from driving all day and crashes immediately on his memory foam mattress. 

With a smile he mumbles to himself, “It remembers me.” 

Morning comes and Dean blessedly has absolutely nothing planned. He hums contently, snuggling further into his covers, savoring the comfort of his own bed. The house is quiet so he assumes Charlie and Dorothy are still asleep. Eventually his stomach grumbles enough for him to succumb to his hunger and get himself out of bed in search of coffee and food. With a steaming fresh mug of coffee, Dean leans against the counter taking in the silence. He loves having time at home to relax and spend time with family. Speaking of family, he should probably head over to the Roadhouse to say hi to Ellen and Jo later. It’s been a while, probably since Christmas, since he’s seen them and he hasn’t exactly called them recently either. The two women most likely won't be too happy with him for not staying in contact. Hopefully a surprise visit will curb some of their anger, though they might be mad that he didn’t tell them he was coming home in the first place. There's really no way he can win here and he just has to accept the consequences the terrifying women deem appropriate. Oh well, there's yummy food and beer there. Plus he knows they will forgive him anyways.

After spending the day lazing around the house with the girls that night, Dean, Charlie, and Dorothy head to the Roadhouse for dinner. The parking lot is decently packed for a Thursday night which surprises them. All of the locals know who they are and treat them like they’re the snot-nosed kids that grew up there, but sometimes there are people visiting and they tend to make a bigger deal of meeting them then it has to be. Dean really hopes they can enjoy the night without too much fanfare. 

They walk through the doors and freeze, taking in the sight in front of them. The bar is packed and the majority of the tables are taken too. There is a small stage on one side with a giant sign above saying “Karaoke Night” in simple lettering. There's no fun font or color and thankfully no glitter either. Plain and simple, just like the bar. Dean smiles big at the welcoming sight. He absolutely loves karaoke nights, being able to sit in the crowd and watch other people sing along to his favorite songs. Every now and then he's known to get on stage himself. It's much different than singing in front of thousands with the band, but he enjoys the more intimate environment karaoke offers. Dean barely makes it five steps into the bar before a fist collides with his upper arm. 

“Ow! What the hell was that for?” Dean turns around to find a furious blonde woman glaring up at him. He gets another punch to the arm before getting an answer. 

“The first one is for not staying in touch and the second one is for not calling to let us know you were in town, and this one,” she pauses and punches him again in the same spot. Dean stands there rubbing his arm, trying his best not to shrink away from the woman. She may be small but man can she pack a punch. Dean would be proud if he wasn’t on the receiving end of said punches. “Is just cause I missed ya,” she finishes with a sweet innocent smile. 

“Yeah, yeah, I missed ya too, kiddo.” Dean pulls her into a tight hug. “Where’s your mama? I gotta hide before she sees me.”

“I think you’re too late,” Charlie whispers from his side as she points to a very angry looking Ellen coming their way. 

“Oh shit,” Dean mumbles before trying to hide behind the much smaller Jo. 

“Oh don’t you dare try to hide from me, boy! You don’t call for months and then decide you’re going to show up in my bar!” Ellen says angrily as she smacks him, on the same shoulder Jo abused earlier, with the towel she’s carrying. 

“Ow! What is with you Harvelle women and your violent greetings? I just want a hug!” Dean replies with a pout. 

With an angry grumble Ellen stops hitting him and opens her arms. Dean all but falls into the embrace, happy to be back home with his family. There’s nothing better than that. Sometimes Dean wonders why he spends so much time on the road when he could have this whenever he wanted. Then he remembers his love for music and their many fans that make it all worth it. When Dean finally pulls away from Ellen she promises to bring their drinks to the booth Jo leads them to. It’s towards the back so it's a little quieter and more private. Dean loves his fans but when he’s home he wants to just relax. Luckily most people in Lawrence don’t see him as a big star and treat him like he’s just a normal person. They are still very proud of him though and they do make a point of telling him when they see him.

“I see y’all are still doing karaoke nights?” Dean asks Jo after sitting down. 

“Yep! Every Thursday night. They keep becoming more and more popular so we give the people what they want,” Jo says before getting a mischievous glint in her eye. “Speaking of what the people want…” 

Instantly Dean is shaking his head. He knows what she’s thinking. “No. No absolutely not. I am not singing karaoke!” 

“Come on, Dean! The people love you and miss hearing you sing in person,” Jo argues, giving her best shot at puppy dog eyes. They’re not as good as Sammy’s, but they still have the ability to make Dean cave. 

Defeated, Dean sighs. “Fine. One song.”

The three girls cheer around him causing a smile to form on his face. He has no problem with singing karaoke, but Dean really does enjoy sitting back and watching others perform. 

“Perfect. Oh, and I get to pick the song!” Jo says, puppy dog eyes gone, replaced with a shark like smirk. 

“No way! That wasn’t the deal.”

“Winchester, you’ve been gone for months and haven’t called either. I’m picking the song you’ll be singing and that’s final.”

Damn these Harvelle women. Jo is just like her mother. Snarky and demanding in the best way possible. Dean grumbles slightly, but lets her do her thing. With a satisfied smile Jo wanders over to Ash, the DJ for the night, and looks at the song list. She gets an evil smirk on her face again and whispers something to Ash. They both look at Dean, then towards the bar, and soon Ash is smiling and nodding to whatever Jo is saying. Dean tries to follow their gazes to see what they're looking at but there’s too many people. He turns his attention back to Jo to see her scribble something on the paper, then wink at Dean before disappearing into the crowd. 

This can’t be good. 


	2. CAS

“Bye, Mr. Novak!” his students call as they exit the small classroom. 

Castiel waves them out, already preparing for his next class. He erases the white board and starts anew, writing the topic of the day in his favorite green marker. They’re in the poetry unit, one of his personal favorites, and are focusing on the nineteenth century this week. The class has already discussed Poe and Dickinson, and today they will discuss E. E. Cummings. Next week they move on to the famous twentieth and twenty-first century poets. At the end of the unit he will challenge his students to pick their favorite poet and recreate one of their famous poems in their own words. Some students love it and some absolutely hate it, but that's how it goes for anything he teaches. He is a high school English teacher, after all. At least he isn’t teaching math. 

He looks at the clock, mentally calculating how much longer he has until he can leave. There is only one period left in the day to his great delight. Once that class is over he can run home and then head over to the Roadhouse for karaoke night. 

As if his students can read his mind, one of the girls in a small group leaving the classroom calls out, “Have fun tonight, Mr. Novak!”

“Thank you, I will,” he replies with an easy smile. Several months ago one of his students had been at the Roadhouse during karaoke night and saw their English teacher perform on stage. The next day was interesting, to say the least, as the news spread all through the school. Every class period there were at least five students asking questions about him singing. Luckily nobody made any negative comments or judged him for it, or if they did they wisely kept it to themselves. Cas really doesn’t care if his students or colleagues don’t approve of his Thursday night fun. He loves it and that's all that matters.

The next wave of students come shuffling in a few minutes later greeting their teacher in various levels of enthusiasm. It’s the end of the day, so Cas understands. 

Not wanting to waste any time, Cas jumps right into the English lesson of the day. The reason he loves poetry so much is because it reminds him of music. Everyone can find something they relate to. There are so many different interpretations of poems; no one really reads one the same way as someone else. One student can take the literal meaning of the words written and find they relate to the story. Another student sitting just one seat over can look between the lines and find their own special meaning. Both are completely valid and encouraged as long as the students find a way to connect. Castiel loves the conversations and debates his students can get into while discussing the poems they read. 

One of the best feelings in the world for Castiel is watching one of his quieter students speak up with their take on a poem. Or one of the ‘super-manly’ football players talk about a poem written about love or something else super soft. Cas makes sure his classroom is a safe place for all opinions, so his students know they can say anything they want to say. Obviously he can’t control what happens when his students leave his classroom, but he can hold out hope that they still respect their fellow classmates. 

An hour later his classroom is once again empty of students. With everyone else gone, Cas is left at his desk organizing his things. A knock at his door startles him and he looks up to see his long time friend from college, Meg. They met their freshman year of college -- well, Cas’ freshman year of majoring in education. He did spend three years pursuing a degree in economics before switching over to education. At first he was a little self conscious of being one of the oldest in his classes, but then he found others like him. Meg took two gap years after graduating highschool, one to travel and one to work, before starting college. The woman basically adopted Cas as the only person she will actually talk and be somewhat nice to, a couple weeks into the term. Cas went along with it because there really was no one else, and somehow the two ended up working really well together. They became best friends by the time they started their second term. By some miracle they both somehow ended up getting a job at the same high school after they graduated.

“Hey Clarence, got some bad news for ya,” she says while leaning in the doorway. Cas raises an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue. “I can’t go with you tonight. Ruby said she has plans for me and there is no way in hell am I passing that opportunity up.”

Cas chuckles at his friend. Ruby and Meg have had a friends with benefits type of situation going on for the last few months or so, but lately they’ve both been really busy. With it being towards the end of the school year Meg has been busier than normal and Ruby has been busy doing whatever it is she does. Cas never got a clear answer on what she actually does for a living and it has gotten to the point where he really really doesn’t want to know. 

“It’s all good, Meg. I understand. You go have fun tonight,” he replies with an easy smile.

“You’re the best, Clarence!” Meg says, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before running out the door. 

Once she’s gone Cas lets out a sigh. He and Meg made a tradition of going to karaoke nights since their second year in college along with their friend Gabriel, another older student they found in their first year. They discovered a local bar that would host a karaoke night every other week about a mile from their college and made it a point to go to all the ones they could. It became their favorite pastime to either relieve stress from a hard week or reward themselves for passing an exam. Gabe ended up moving to New York for a teaching position, but they all kept in contact. 

They were fortunate to find the Roadhouse not long after they moved to Lawrence and discovered they had karaoke nights once a month. Two months ago Ellen and Jo decided to host karaoke night every week on Thursday since they became more and more popular. So, it became tradition for Cas and Meg once again to go to karaoke night each week. Obviously things come up and they both understand that they have lives outside of karaoke. But having to go alone tonight is a little bit of a bummer for Cas and hits him a little harder than normal. Maybe it's because Meg is going to spend time with her girlfriend (?) while Cas spends the night alone at the bar. This wouldn’t be the first time he was jealous of his friend for having a love/sex life. Luckily he will still have Ellen and Jo to keep him company, at least for a little bit. Cas will just sing his song then head home for an early night. 

With his mind made up Cas packs up his things, grabs his trench coat from the hook behind the door, and walks out of his quiet classroom. He walks out the front doors and is hit with a burst of warm air. It’s early spring now, so it’s starting to get a little too warm for the coat he always wears, but Cas loves the thing too much to not wear it. He will even wear it all the way to summer if he can. Meg will give him a hard time about it, but he knows she is almost as fond of the coat as he is.

A little over half an hour later finds Castiel sitting at the bar talking to a smiling Ellen. 

“What can I get for ya today, Cas?” She asks.

“What’s the special of the week?” He likes trying the rotating beer special before getting his usual. 

“We have the Cosmic Cowboy this week, an American Pale Ale. Wanna give it a try?”

“Absolutely!” Before he knows it, he has a refreshing cold beer sitting in front of him. He takes a sip and finds he enjoys it quite a bit. There's a hint of pineapple and grapefruit that give a very refreshing taste. Instantly he takes another sip, already thinking of ordering a second one since he likes it so much. As he drinks he lets his eyes wander around the rest of the bar. He can see Ash setting up the karaoke stage and the sign up sheet with five people already standing around it wanting to sing. Cas decides he will finish his beer then head over to put his name down on the list.

Cas is working on his second Cosmic Cowboy beer when there’s a slight commotion towards the entrance. There’s too many people to see what’s going on, but knowing Ellen, it’ll be taken care of pretty quickly. No one messes around in her bar and gets away with it. Sure enough he can just barely make out Ellen storming to the door with an angry expression on her face. Cas chuckles a little and feels slightly bad for the person having to face that look directed full force on them. 

After Cas finishes his second beer he switches to water, since he does have to drive home later that night and it technically is still a work night for him. Luckily it is Friday and then it's the weekend and he can relax for a couple days. In the time it took for Cas to finish his beers about ten people have sung their songs and Cas knows he’s gotta be coming up soon. Two more people go by, one doing a horrid rendition of a Queen song that causes Cas to cringe. He does clap when they finish, mostly because it's over, but also to be nice. The other did a surprisingly wonderful job singing a country song that Cas is unfamiliar with, but the guy sounded great. 

“Alrighty then, folks! We got a very special treat for y’all tonight!” Ash says into his microphone while looking down at the list. “One of our very favorite regulars has graced us with his presence once again tonight. Ladies and gents, let's give a very nice welcome to our very own singing angel, Castiel!” 

Cas rolls his eyes at Ash’s intro for him, but stands up and makes his way to the stage anyway. There are a lot of cheers and wolf whistles that follow him to the stage which causes him to blush a little. He silently prays that people can’t tell too much because of the low lighting. When he reaches the stage, he finds Ash still standing there with a smirk on his face which is odd, usually the man goes back to his music station behind the stage. He sends a wink towards Cas before turning back to the crowd. 

“Even though Cas here is a very special treat, I have something else to sweeten the pot for y’all!” Cas looks at the other man very confused on what’s going on. This isn’t how it normally goes at all. 

“Cas here _will_ be singing, so don’t worry you won’t miss out on his beautiful voice. However, he will not be singing alone!” Ash pauses for dramatic effect, “That’s right, folks! We got a duet for you tonight!”

_What is going on?_

“Let’s give a very big welcome to our very own Dean Winchester!!!” Ash all but yells into the mic adding a pause after each word for even more dramatic effect.

_Wait what?? Dean Winchester?_ The _Dean Winchester?? The lead singer in the famous Purgatory Souls, Dean Winchester?_

Cas is frozen in shock as he sees a man make his way to the stage, being pushed by a short blonde woman Cas recognizes as Jo. As they come closer Cas can clearly see that this is in fact the very same Dean Winchester. And for some reason, which makes absolutely no sense to Castiel, Dean is even more attractive in person than he is in the countless amount of pictures Cas has seen of the guy. He's not a stalker or weirdo, but he just might have a really big crush on the guy. To be fair Cas never actually expected to meet the guy. That was the whole point of celebrity crushes; you look and appreciate from a far, but nothing is ever supposed to come from it! 

When they’re both on stage, Cas can make out just how vibrant Dean's green eyes really are. He can even make out some of the famous freckles, and the bow legs! Cas is completely star struck and can’t seem to form any words, standing on stage like an idiot gaping at this supermodel in front of everyone. Ash hands him a mic and by some miracle he is able to hold onto it while he continues to stare at Dean. He knows he’s being creepy and weird, but he’s not really in control of his body at the moment. Dean is also staring at him, so Cas can’t look too weird. 

_Right?_

The singer has the most beautiful pink tint on his cheeks which amazes Cas. The fact that this beautiful man in front of him could even be slightly embarrassed about being in front of a small bar crowd to sing karaoke. Suddenly the music starts and shakes both men out of their staring contest. Cas recognizes the song instantly, even though it’s not the one he selected originally. He takes a deep breath and just hopes Dean will take the lead. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright those were the two introduction chapters basically and the story picks up in the next one! I'll have the next chapter up for all of you in a few days! Thanks for reading!
> 
> PS: Cosmic Cowboy is one of Jensen's beers from his brewery!


	3. DEAN

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for a little karaoke!!

Dean is happily sitting in the booth catching up with Dorothy and what has been going on in Lawrence since the last time the band was home. He is finishing his second beer of the night, Cosmic Cowboy because the name just sounds awesome, when he hears the country song end. Cheers and people clapping fill the air and Dean joins in since the guy was actually pretty good. Ash takes back the mic and calls up the next singer to get up on stage.

“Alright now folks! We got a very special treat for y’all tonight!” Ash says into his microphone while looking down at the list. Dean tenses up and hopes Ash isn’t about to call his name. He had nearly forgotten about his deal with Jo. Except for the times the woman herself comes over to their table every now and then with a satisfied smirk plastered on her face. “One of our very favorite regulars has graced us with his presence once again tonight. Ladies and gents, let's give a very nice welcome to our very own singing angel, Castiel!” 

The breath Dean didn't realize he was holding leaves in a rush as Dean sinks back into the booth, able to relax for a few more minutes. A very handsome man with dark messy hair stands up from his seat at the bar and makes his way to the stage. Even from the bad vantage point Dean has, he can tell the guy is tall and has a strong build. Dean may or may not (he definitely does) check out the guy’s ass as he climbs the stairs to the stage. Charlie giggles and kicks him in the shin, earning a half hearted glare from Dean. Not like he can help it! The guy has a great butt and one of Dean’s greatest weaknesses is a dude with an awesome ass. 

“Even though Cas here is a very special treat, I have something else to sweeten the pot for y’all!” Ash says into the mic still standing on stage and looking right at Dean.

_ Oh no. _

“Cas here will be singing, so don’t worry, you won’t miss out on his beautiful voice. However, he will not be singing alone! That’s right, folks! We've got a duet for you tonight!”

_ No no no no no. _

Jo suddenly appears at the table with that same satisfied smirk on her face. “Get up, Winchester. You gotta get on stage.”

“Let’s give a very big welcome to our very own, Dean Winchester!!!” Ash all but yells into the mic. 

Reluctantly, Dean stands up from the booth. If looks could kill, Jo would for sure be a goner right at this moment. Even if his murderous glare can't do the trick, he is going to kill her at the end of the night. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on the moment) she knows exactly what Dean’s type is and for all he has seen so far, this Castiel guy? Checks all of his boxes. Dark hair? Check. Tall and strong build? Check. Awesome ass? Dean made sure of that... check. If this guy ends up having blue eyes, Dean might just spontaneously combust right there on stage. Going off of how Jo’s smirk grows into a full blown grin as she pushes him towards the stage, Dean would bet his favorite guitar that Castiel will have blue eyes.

“I am so going to murder you, Harvelle,” he mumbles through gritted teeth.

“Yeah, yeah, love ya too, tough guy,” she replies easily. “Don’t screw up!”

With one final shove, Dean is stumbling up the two stairs to the stage. Ash hands him a mic then disappears, leaving just the two men on stage. Up close Dean finally gets to see more of Cas and  _ damn _ he is attractive. A crazy mess of dark hair like he has been running his fingers through it all day, a strong jaw paired with a full set of soft pink lips that Dean is dying to get a taste of. Sure enough, a pair of striking blue eyes stare back at him. Not just any blue though, no this shade of blue almost glows in the low light of the bar and draws Dean in against his will. He knows he could easily get lost staring into those eyes for eternity, diving deeper into the deep pools of blue. 

All those boxes Dean was talking about earlier? Consider them all checked off. This man in front of him is the cumulation of all the wet dreams Dean has ever had involving men.

It's only when the music starts does Dean realize he has been staring at the guy. He mentally shakes himself out of the daze and focuses on the song. As soon as he recognizes it Dean groans and shoots another glare in the direction of Jo. Dean risks another glance over at Castiel and sees the man looks almost petrified. Accepting the fact that he will have to take the lead and sing the first verse, Dean slips into his stage persona, the professional singer that can handle being up on stage. With a determined mind set to make the most of this situation, Dean jumps right into the first verse. 

**_I stay out too late_ **

**_Got nothing in my brain_ **

**_That's what people say, mmm-mmm_ **

**_That's what people say, mmm-mmm_ **

The crowd is instantly pulled in and Dean can even see a group of teenage girls getting up from their table to come dance in front of the stage. The sight encourages Dean, so he decides to let loose and go all out with the song.

**_I go on too many dates_ **

**_But I can't make them stay_ **

**_At least that's what people say, mmm-mmm_ **

**_That's what people say, mmm-mmm_ **

**_But I keep cruising_ **

**_Can't stop, won't stop moving_ **

**_It's like I got this music_ **

**_In my mind_ **

**_Saying, "It's gonna be alright."_ **

With the chorus coming up Dean looks back to Castiel to see if he wants to join in. To his surprise Cas is still staring at him, but now there is a big gummy smile on his face. The sight brings a smile of its own to Dean’s face. He jerks his head in an inviting motion and Cas takes a step closer, holding his mic up to start singing. Along with the majority of the crowd, they jump into the chorus.

**_'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play_ **

**_And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate_ **

**_Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake_ **

**_I shake it off, I shake it off_ **

**_Heart-breakers gonna break, break, break, break, break_ **

**_And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake_ **

**_Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake_ **

**_I shake it off, I shake it off_ **

Now that Cas seems to have gotten his confidence back and is comfortable singing, Dean lets him take the next verse. And he is not disappointed in the least. This man can really sing.

**_I never miss a beat_ **

**_I'm lightning on my feet_ **

**_And that's what they don't see, mmm-mmm_ **

**_That's what they don't see, mmm-mmm_ **

**_I'm dancing on my own (dancing on my own)_ **

**_I make the moves up as I go (moves up as I go)_ **

**_And that's what they don't know, mmm-mmm_ **

**_That's what they don't know, mmm-mmm_ **

With the crowd cheering them on, the two men start jumping and dancing up on stage. Dean does all of the back up vocals while Castiel kills it on the main tune. Cas’ deep gravelly voice sounds surprisingly really good singing Taylor Swift and Dean can’t get enough of it.

**_But I keep cruising_ **

**_Can't stop, won't stop grooving_ **

**_It's like I got this music_ **

**_In my mind_ **

**_Saying, "It's gonna be alright."_ **

The whole bar is now with them and they all shout out the next chorus.

**_'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play_ **

**_And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate_ **

**_Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake_ **

**_I shake it off, I shake it off_ **

**_Heart-breakers gonna break, break, break, break, break_ **

**_And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake_ **

**_Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake_ **

**_I shake it off, I shake it off_ **

**_Shake it off, I shake it off,_ **

**_I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off,_ **

**_I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off,_ **

**_I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off_ **

With a flirty smile on his lips Dean turns to face Castiel head on. He slowly takes steps towards the man while he sings the next verse.

**_Hey, hey, hey_ **

**_Just think while you've been getting down and out about the liars and the dirty, dirty cheats of the world,_ **

**_You could've been getting down to this sick beat._ **

To his great pleasure, Cas takes a step back everytime Dean takes one forward, until they reach the edge of the stage. Dean steps just a little bit closer, so that there is a mere few inches between them. Cas leans back and slightly loses his balance. He would have gone over if there weren't people crowding around the stage able to push him back up. With a flirty wink and a sultry grin, Dean spins on his heel and marches across the stage just to turn back and level Cas with his gaze.

**_My ex-man brought his new girlfriend_ **

**_She's like "Oh, my god!" but I'm just gonna shake._ **

**_And to the fella over there with the hella good hair_ **

**_Won't you come on over, baby? We can shake, shake, shake_ **

**_Yeah ohhh_ **

As Cas sings he struts back towards Dean until they’re practically chest to chest and they sing the chorus while doing slightly awkward shimmies in time with the music.

**_'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play_ **

**_And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate (haters gonna hate)_ **

**_I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake_ **

**_I shake it off, I shake it off_ **

**_Heart-breakers gonna break, break, break, break, break (mmmm)_ **

**_And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake (and fake, and fake, and fake)_ **

**_Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake_ **

**_I shake it off, I shake it off_ **

**_Shake it off, I shake it off,_ **

**_I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off,_ **

**_I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off_ **

**_I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off_ **

With a few more ‘shake it off’s the song finally ends, leaving Dean and Cas still facing each other lost in each other's eyes. They’re breathing heavily from performing and with how close they’re still standing their breath mingles together between them. The crowd goes crazy around them, dragging them back to reality. Dean can feel the heat rise to his cheeks and really hopes people will think it's just from singing. Cas’ cheeks are also suspiciously pink which causes Dean to smile slightly. 

Ash hops back onto the stage and gives them both a pat on the back before addressing the crowd.

“How lucky are we to have these two up here singing such a classic song together?” Cheers erupt from the crowd again. “Alright, lets give these two another big round of applause before we get our next singer up here!”

Exiting the stage to cheers all around, Dean follows Cas back to the bar. They stand there in awkward silence, not sure where to begin. Without the stage and the crowd Dean is kind of lost. Luckily it seems Cas has something to say.

“So you’re Dean Winchester.”

Dean chuckles lightly, “The one and only! At least I think I am.”

“And you’re here. And I just sang on stage. With you.” Cas continues.

“Umm yes,” Dean replies, slightly hesitant. Usually he's not this awkward with fans or attractive people!

“Sorry, I’m just in shock still,” Cas says offering a small shy smile.

“It’s all good, you must be new in town?” Dean asks.

“Yes, moved here about a year ago.”

“Makes sense, I’ve been gone most of the last year being on tour and all that.” Dean waves a hand nonchalantly. “Lawrence is my hometown though and we still have a place here that we consider our homebase.”

“I had no idea you were from here. None of your interviews talk much about your personal life. I just assumed you were from California or something,” Cas says quietly.

Dean scoffs. “We try to keep our personal and private lives quiet, so that we can come here and be ourselves without having to worry about it much. Like I said, I grew up here so basically everyone knows who I am and sees me as an annoying snot-nosed kid that would always get in trouble rather than the professional singer most people see me as.”

Castiel hums, “That makes sense.”

“Soooooo I’m guessing since you’ve seen our interviews that you're a fan of the band?” Dean asks with a slight smirk. To his great pleasure Cas flushes in response to his question. 

“I do enjoy your music, yes,” Cas admits shyly.

Dean smiles wide and happy. “Awesome.”

They stand next to the bar staring at each other once again, until a throat being cleared startles them.

“You two pretty boys going to stand there all night or are you going to order something and sit down?” Ellen asks with her hands on her hips from the other side of the bar. Dean flushes from being called out and orders another beer before turning to Castiel to see what he wants.

“Water for me please Ellen, I need to get going soon,” Cas replies and Dean’s stomach drops. 

_ Cas has to go? They just met! He can’t leave yet! _

Ellen quickly gets their drinks together and sets them on the bar. Dean reaches for his beer and takes a large gulp before returning his gaze to Cas. Yeah, he's not ready to say goodbye yet.

“Hey, I have a booth over there with some friends,” Dean points over his shoulder towards Charlie and Dorothy before rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “I know you said you had to leave soon, but do you wanna sit down for a little bit?”

Dean can see the hesitation in Cas’ eye, but the man nods anyway. “Sure, I would love to join you guys.”

“Awesome,” Dean smiles, relieved. He leads Cas over to the table and quickly introduces him to the two girls before sliding to the far side of the booth so that Cas can sit down next to him. Once he does, the girls (mostly Charlie) are on him like bees in a wild flower field. It is rapid fire questions, trying a little bit of every topic, completely overwhelming the poor guy. Dean can’t help but chuckle at the look of pure terror on Cas’ face.

“Alright ladies, slow it down, one at a time,” Dean interrupts the constant stream of questions. Charlie takes the lead on the questions this time.

“Name?”

“Castiel Novak.”

“Job?” 

“High school English teacher.”

“How long have you lived here?”

“About a year now.”

“Girlfriend? Boyfriend? Married?”

“Charles, come on now, the man doesn’t need to tell us his whole life story,” Dean interrupts before his friend gets to the extremely personal questions. 

“Shut up, Dean,” Charlie snaps before Dorothy elbows her in the side. “Shoot, yeah. you’re right. I’m sorry, Dean. And sorry to you too, Cas. I just got excited.” 

To Dean’s surprise Cas laughs quietly. “It’s quite alright, Charlie. Most people in town know all of this about me already, so you would’ve heard it eventually. To answer your question, I am single at the moment. And to answer your implied question, I consider myself to be bisexual leaning more towards men.”

Dean can’t help the thrill that shoots through him at that answer. Cas is single and into men! He tries to hide his satisfied smile but going off of the knowing looks he receives from both Charlie and Dorothy, he didn’t do too good of a job. 

The four of them chatter on, easily moving to different topics as if they’ve all known each other for years. 

“Cas, you’re still here? I thought Mom said you were heading out?” Jo interrupts when she walks up to the table. Cas quickly pulls out his phone and groans when he sees the time. Dean looks at his own and grimaces when he realizes they’ve been sitting there for well over an hour talking. 

“Shoot, sorry man. I didn’t realize how much time passed. You said you’re a teacher? You have work tomorrow?” Dean asks. 

“Unfortunately, yes. I should’ve been in bed half an hour ago,” Cas mumbles and Dean instantly feels bad for keeping the guy this late. He knows what it’s like to not get enough sleep before a busy day. “Honestly can’t say I regret it though. Maybe I will tomorrow morning before I have my coffee, but this has been one of the best nights I’ve had in a while.”

That brings Dean's smile back to his face. It’s been one of the best nights he has had in a while too.

“Did you tell them how big of a fan you are?” Jo asks Cas with a playful smirk on her lips. Dean can see the blush creep back up Cas’ neck at the question. He loves it so much he can’t help but join in on the teasing. 

“Aw Cas, you’re a fan? Why didn’t you say anything?” Dean's grin grows into a full blown smile as the pink tint to Cas’ skin rises higher. 

“He’s a huge fan! Even sang one of your guys’ songs one time! I gotta say the crowd seemed to like his version a lot more too,” Jo adds. 

Deans playfulness melts into fondness as he looks at the man sitting next to him. “You sang one of our songs?”

Cas glances up at him briefly before nodding slightly. 

“Dude, that’s awesome!” Dean exclaims giving him a gentle pat on the back. “You ever been to one of our shows?” 

“Sadly I have not.” Cas looks away. “When I was in college I never had the money or time to go to anything like that, and then I started teaching right away and again never had the time. Things just never lined up with the dates I was available.”

Dean can hear the sadness in Cas’ voice and wants to do something to fix that. 

“What are you doing on the 18th? It’s a Saturday,” Dean asks. He can see Charlie giving him a questioning glance, but he can also see Jo grinning from ear to ear at him. 

“I don’t think I have anything planned, why?” Cas tilts his head to the side in confusion. Dean would never say it out loud but it’s pretty damn adorable. 

“We have a show, down in Oklahoma. I can get you VIP and backstage passes if you want to come down. Jo and Ellen drive down every year for that show since it's pretty close. Same with Sam's girlfriend, Jess, and Dorothy here. You could join them!”

Castiel looks shocked. He sits there with his mouth gaping open and wide eyes flitting back and forth between the four people looking back at him eagerly. Dean knows he has a hopeful smile on his face while Charlie and Jo have extremely excited and encouraging smiles on theirs. 

“Are you serious?” he asks, his voice quiet in disbelief.

“Dead serious. What do you say, Cas? Wanna come see us live?” Dean replies sincerely.

“Yes!” Cas exclaims, slightly louder than he meant to if the quick glance around the bar he does after is anything to go off of. A slight blush creeps up his neck again causing Dean to smile. “I mean, yes please. That would be amazing.”

“Awesome! I don’t have any with me right now, but I’ll make sure your name is on the list when you get to the venue. How many do you want? I can call Bobby tomorrow.”

“Um, two please? If that's alright? I have a friend who would kill me if she knew I went to see you guys without her,” Cas says.

“Done.” Dean smiles at his new found friend. At least he hopes he can call Cas his friend. They’ve only met tonight and hardly know each other. Dean does want to get to know him better though, that's for sure. 

“Thank you so much. Seriously, that just made my whole year,” Cas states honestly.

“Not a big deal Cas, I promise.”

“It is to me. No one’s done something like that for me before.” Now it's Dean’s turn to blush at Cas’ words. It feels good to know he has already made an impact on the other man’s life.

“Well I hope the concert lives up to your expectations then,” Dean says, suddenly very shy.

“I have no doubt that it will meet and exceed all the expectations I possess,” Cas replies while standing up. “Thank you all for the wonderful night and the pleasure of meeting all of you. I guess I will see you next week?”

A chorus of goodbyes follow Cas as he heads for the door. Dean watches him go, his eyes drifting down to watch his ass once again. Someone plopping down next to him in Cas’ recently vacated seat draws his attention away. He looks over to see Jo sitting there smiling at him, one of those smiles where you can tell she is very satisfied with herself. In response Dean glares at her before shifting his eyes to the table.

“Oh come on, Winchester! There is no way you can possibly be mad at me for that! Look at what came out of it,” Jo exclaims. Dean knows she's not wrong. He did get to meet Cas because of her meddling. It might’ve made his whole night and trip back to Lawrence a bit better than it already was too. There's no way he's going to tell her that though. He will play mad at her until she offers to get him some pie that he just knows they have hiding in the back. 

“Ugh, fine I’ll go get the pie,” she grumbles good naturedly before getting up.

With a satisfied smile on his lips he looks up to see Charlie and Dorothy both glaring at him. “What?”

“You should thank her,” Dorothy says easily while Charlie nods, agreeing with her girlfriend.

“Yeah, yeah I know,” Dean mutters. “After I get my pie!”

The girls roll their eyes but smile anyway. A few minutes later Dean has his pie and Jo has her thank you. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all! This chapter was so much fun to write and was originally what I had planned for this story but then it grew into something bigger which I'm okay with!
> 
> Song: Shake It Off by Taylor Swift
> 
> Mostly inspired by the [SPN Parody](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCZy8cAgBlM) which you should check out if you haven't seen it already. 
> 
> I'll have the next chapter for y'all either Sunday or Monday!


	4. CAS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chapter for y'all this time, next one will be posted in a few days (Wednesday hopefully)!! I am so close to having the final chapter finished, I keep adding on so it kinda keeps growing... But it will be finished I promise!!

The next week somehow manages to crawl and fly by at the same time. Each day is a blur but also the longest day of Castiel’s life. Finally -- after what feels like years -- Friday comes around. Cas knows he’s distracted in his classes but his students don’t seem to notice, or if they do they don’t seem to care. When it’s time for his last class of the day he is so ready to leave that he ends up letting his class go fifteen minutes early. None of his students question it. They wish him a happy weekend and empty the classroom. He spends the extra time making sure he has everything in order for the next week since he won't have any time over the weekend to deal with work stuff. 

“Dang, Clarence, you ready to go?” Meg asks from the doorway. The first thing Cas did when he saw his friend last Friday was ask if she wanted to go to the concert with him. They discovered the band in college together and have always wanted to go see them live. Of course she agreed immediately and asked him ten thousand questions about the night before. Now it is a week later and they are heading to the roadhouse to meet up with the other four people heading to the concert.

Thursday night when they went to the Roadhouse for their usual karaoke night, they finalized the plans with Ellen and Jo. They are all to meet at the Roadhouse at 4:00 P.M. and carpool down to Oklahoma City. Castiel offered to drive and so he has Meg and Jo in his car with him while Jess will be driving Ellen and Dorothy. Ellen told him they stay at the same hotel as the band and get a discount on rooms. When he asked how he should make a reservation Jo informed him she already took care of it as long as he and Meg are okay with sharing a room since it was pretty last minute and they only had a double left on the same floor as everyone else. Jo also whispered to him that he probably won't even be staying in the room the second night anyway. That caused his whole face to flush a bright red and she sent a wink his way before returning to the bar.

Now that the time to leave is really here, Cas finds himself incredibly nervous. Meg must see it on his face because she moves from the doorway to his desk to take a closer look at him.

“What’s wrong? You look like you’re about to puke.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing, Meg. I don’t know what to expect. Meeting him was incredible, like flying free over a forest or something, but what if he doesn’t feel the same? What if I’m just another fan to him that he is being nice to? What if he doesn’t even remember who I am?” Cas frantically spills out as he spirals deeper into the pool of his insecurities.

“Woah, Clarence. Take a deep breath for me,” Meg says calmly while rubbing his back in soothing circles. “He definitely will remember who you are. Jo said last night he asked her if you were still planning on coming to the show right?” Cas nods because he does remember that. “Okay, so that's one less thing to worry about. And also going off of what Jo has said, this guy is just as into you as you are into him. So there. You have absolutely nothing to worry about.”

Cas sends here a mild glare. Yes her words are true, but it’s still hard to convince himself of that. 

“Now, come on. Move your butt. We've got places to be!” 

With a heavy sigh Cas allows himself to be pulled up by his friend and led out the door. They pile into his car with a quick stop to Meg's place to grab her stuff before driving to the roadhouse. 

“Cas! Meg! You guys made it!” Jo yells as soon as they step out of his car. Cas checks the time and sees they’re ten minutes early but that doesn't seem to matter to Jo. The blonde ushers them inside and gets them both a glass of lemonade and a basket of fries to snack on while they wait for Jess and Dorothy to arrive. 

Just minutes later the other two women arrive and they split into their respective cars before hitting the road to head south. Meg smirks before loading a CD into the player. Dean’s newest album starts up. Cas blushes and sends her a glare. 

“What? We gotta get in the spirit!” she claims. In the back seat Jo is singing along and Meg quickly joins in. They sing loudly and purposefully off key, taunting Cas to join. With a fond eye roll he does just that. Once they go through the whole album they are all out of breath from singing but giddy from the experience. 

“So Cas, are you excited to see Dean again?” Jo asks leaning forward. Meg turns to look at him with an interested look in her eye too, waiting for his answer. 

Cas chooses his words very carefully, knowing it’s a trap. “I am very excited to watch the band live, it’s something I’ve wanted to do for years now.”

Meg rolls her eyes at his answer which earns a satisfied smirk from him. 

“Oh come on, Cas, you know that is so not what I meant!” Jo complains. “You do like him right?” Her voice is quieter and more serious. 

He still hesitates before he answers, “I hardly know him. We’ve talked once and I will admit he was very kind and generous, but we don’t know each other. He’s a rock star. I’m a high school English teacher. Our worlds don’t really mix. I’m lucky enough that our paths crossed once. To answer your question, yes I do like him. I just don’t want to get my hopes up for something that will never happen.”

Meg swats at his arm and glares at him, “Don’t you dare talk about my unicorn like that! That Dean Winchester would be the luckiest man alive to get to know you.”

“Ow!” Cas exclaims when she keeps swatting his arm while he tries to drive. He knows he has some self worth issues but everyone can clearly see that he would be the lucky one to have met Dean Winchester and actually sing with him on stage. Okay it was only a karaoke stage but that’s still a stage!

“I agree with Meg,” Jo says from the backseat, shocking Cas. He learned in the last week that Jo and Dean are practically siblings. The fact that she agrees with Meg that Dean would be lucky to get to know  _ him _ is shocking. 

“We are talking about the same Dean Winchester, right?” He exclaims, flabbergasted. “You know, the famous rock star Dean Winchester? Who could have anyone he wanted?”

Really Cas should have expected the series of hits from both women that follow his words. They both grumble responses saying he deserves more than he gives himself credit for. Cas knows they mean well and are probably honest with their words, but it’s still hard for him to accept them. 

He was always the black sheep in his family, the disappointment. All three of his older brothers are lawyers and doctors while he is a simple high school English teacher. His parents basically disowned him when he told them he was going to school to major in education instead of med school. It wasn’t the first time his parents wished they had disowned him either. Cas figured out pretty early on that he was attracted to both female and male forms. His parents hadn't been too happy when they discovered that fact, which led to a very depressing high school experience with him constantly hiding parts of himself. 

College was his escape. He could do what he wanted and be who he wanted. Cas worked his butt off in high school to get good grades and applied for as many scholarships as he could. By some miracle he managed to get almost a full ride to a university in Ohio. He found a part time job at the campus bookstore and was able to fully support himself all through his schooling. Cas never looked back at his family and isn’t planning on doing so anytime in the future either. He’s happy with where his life is right now and doesn’t need their negativity to ruin it for him. Instead he has two badass girls with him telling him the exact opposite of what he has heard his whole life, and he has to admit it feels pretty nice to be loved. 

The rest of the drive goes smoothly. They keep the conversation light and sing along to the music. By the time they reach the city it’s dark and they’re all exhausted. Ellen checks them all in while the others figure out what to do about food. Eventually they decide on takeout and order some pizza to be delivered to the hotel. Twenty minutes later they all have their pizzas and head up to their designated rooms. 

Meg flops on the bed closest to the door not bothering with taking her boots off. The woman ate her pizza on the elevator ride up, amazing everyone except Cas since he's used to his friend’s bad habits and manners. Within minutes Cas can hear quiet snores coming from her bed. He chuckles to himself before settling down at the small table to eat his own pizza. His thoughts are going a mile a minute with worrying about the next day. 

Emotions battle each other, fighting for dominance in his mind. On one hand he is incredibly excited to see one of his favorite bands live for the first time. On the other hand he is incredibly nervous to see Dean again. Obviously they haven’t talked since that night at the bar and even though Cas has thought about the green eyed man near constantly since that night, it doesn’t mean Dean has been thinking about him at all. Cas snorts at the idea. There is no way Dean Winchester can see Cas as any more than just a fan. An incredibly lucky fan who happened to be in the right place at the right time to be able to meet the gorgeous rock star. Cas was so starstruck by Dean’s generous offer of backstage passes too. 

For the last week Jo has constantly been telling him that Dean is interested in him, but Cas can’t get himself to believe her. She knows Dean better than anyone else, so there really isn't a single reason why he should doubt her. Except for the fact that he is Castiel, a high school English teacher, and good things like this never happen to him. There is not a single reason why Dean should be interested in him. And if the singer actually is, then he won't be for long. Pretty soon he will realize how boring Cas is and will want nothing to do with him. That thought brings Cas back to reality. He doesn’t want to get his hopes up expecting things between him and Dean to go any further than band and fan relationships because he knows that he will just end up getting hurt, his hopes dragging behind him like a kicked puppy. 

With a heavy sigh, Cas pushes the rest of his pizza away, his appetite long gone. He makes his way to the small bathroom and gets ready for bed. After carefully removing Meg’s boots, he crawls into his own bed and waits for sleep to take over his restless mind. 


	5. DEAN + CAS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some much needed bonding time with the amazing SPN women.

Dean is a mess.

He slept in late because he forgot to set his alarm last night and his brother had to wake him up. He feels sick to his stomach with nerves, which is highly unusual for him; normally the nerves don’t hit until he's getting ready to run out on stage. He can barely eat his breakfast because he doesn’t have much of an appetite. Even with a pile of bacon sitting right in front of him, he wants nothing to do with it. Charlie starts to notice something is wrong when she catches Dean staring at said pile of bacon, longingly. 

“Dude, what is up with you?” she asks quietly.

Dean looks at her helplessly. “I don’t know. I can hardly function today.” 

“Well snap out of it! We have a show to do tonight and Cas will be here too so you don't want to disappoint him with giving a bad show the one time he is able to make it.”

Dean snaps his eyes up at the mention of Cas. Realization must hit Charlie, because her concerned look transitions to one of understanding and comfort pretty quickly. There’s also a hint of teasing in her expression that Dean chooses to ignore at the moment. 

“Oh Dean, you have nothing to worry about! No matter what happens on stage tonight Cas won’t think of you any differently. Do you remember how happy he was when you offered him tickets to the show?” Dean nods, knowing he will never be able to forget that adorable gummy smile Cas had plastered on his face. “The dude will be incredibly happy to just be in the audience tonight. You don’t need to put extra effort into having a good show just because of him. We will go out there and rock it like we always do, and then after you will have a chance to talk to your pretty boy again. And maybe do some other unspeakable things with your man!”

“Charlie!” Dean exclaims, looking around the hotel breakfast area making sure no one heard his friend.

“What?” She asks innocently, batting her eyelashes at him.

Dean glowers, “Stop that. You have a girlfriend and you’re not even interested in guys so I have no idea why your mind would go there. Besides nothing will happen. There is no way he would be interested in me.”

“I may bat for the other team but even I can admit that man is  _ dreamy _ . With a capital D. And what do you mean there's no way he would be interested in you?? Are we talking about the same Castiel? You know the one who was practically mooning over you the whole night?”

“He was not. Even if he was, it's just because I’m in the band. That's all he sees me as anyways. I’m sure he would just want a one night stand hookup thing. No one wants to start a relationship with a singer who's always on tour,” Dean argues before wincing as Charlie punches his arm.

“I'll have you know that I am in a very happy committed relationship with someone and I am in a band. Sam and Benny also are in a relationship with someone else. So you can’t tell me that there aren’t people out there that would happily start a relationship with someone in a band. I think you need to give Cas some more credit, the guy doesn’t seem like a one night stand type of person,” Charlie says. The fierceness in her voice causes Dean to think back on what he knows about Cas. He has to admit his fiery redhead friend is probably right; Cas doesn’t seem like the type to go for a one night stand. That still doesn’t mean that he wouldn't pass up the opportunity to have one with Dean just to say he did, and there is absolutely no way he would want an actual relationship with Dean either. They still barely know each other, but what Dean does know is that he is already hooked on this guy.

The two band members sit quietly after that, finishing up their food. Dean knows they’re already running late, but he can’t force himself to eat faster. Luckily Charlie doesn’t push him and instead gets herself another helping of fresh fruit. Dean doesn’t know what he did to deserve a friend like her, but he is very happy to have had their friendship over the years. Eventually Charlie does inform him that they need to go get ready for soundcheck, like  _ now,  _ unless they want to get yelled at by Sam and some other stage hand members. Reluctantly he gets up and grabs another coffee to go, just in case it's needed (it definitely will be). 

Charlie leads the way to the elevator, pushing the up arrow as Dean quietly sips at his steaming cup. A few seconds go by before a quiet ding sounds through the narrow hallway signaling the arrival of the elevator. The doors open and Dean nearly drops his coffee. Standing in the elevator looking unfairly gorgeous in a pair of dark gray sweats and a simple light blue t-shirt is Cas. Clearly Cas hasn’t shaved yet this morning because there is an even layer of scruff over the man's cheeks that Dean would give anything to be able to just brush his fingers over once. Dean hardly takes notice of anything else besides the captivating pair of wide eyes staring back at him. He is so lost in the twin pools of blue that he doesn’t even notice the attractive woman basically hanging off of Cas. That is until she speaks and breaks the awkward tension.

“Clarence, you good?” 

Dean shakes himself out of the trance and takes note of the pair. Clearly they are very close and comfortable with each other. They have their arms looped together and she is resting her chin on his shoulder, looking at him fondly. Instantly Dean’s mood sours and the minimal amount of food he forced down earlier is fighting its way back up. He could’ve sworn that Cas had said he was single last week, but maybe he's wrong. Or maybe the couple has a friends with benefits situation going on? Cas did say he was going to bring a friend with him. 

“Dean, we really gotta get going,” Charlie interrupts his spiraling thoughts. He turns his head to look at her, not really seeing much so he returns his gaze to Cas. Somehow he manages to nod and step into the elevator as the other two step out. He and Cas somehow manage to maintain eye contact through the whole thing. Neither seem to be able to say anything. The doors start to close and something must snap for both of them.

“Dean…”

“Cas…”

But the doors close and all other words are cut off before they even begin.

* * *

“Cas…”

“Dean…”

The doors close, and Cas stares at them helplessly. 

“Dean? Like the Dean?” Meg asks from his side. She was never as into the band as much as he was so she never really saw many pictures of the members. All Cas can do is sadly nod his head and tear his eyes from the closed elevator doors. 

On the bright side, Dean did say his name, so at least Cas knows the singer remembers him.

Cas lets Meg drag him to the breakfast lounge, but he’s too distracted to actually taste anything he eats. He keeps looking towards the elevators hoping for another chance at talking to Dean. Unfortunately every time the doors open, they don't reveal an unfairly attractive man with freckles and sparkling green eyes. More often than not it's an old married couple or professionally dressed business people in a rush to get out of the hotel. Eventually, after Meg is satisfied he’s had enough to eat, they head back up to the room to get ready for the day. 

He promised his friend that they could go explore the city some before the concert to pass the time. Cas has never been more grateful for the distraction. He knows that if all he had to do was sit in the hotel room for several hours he would go absolutely insane. They see Jo and the other two girls in the hallway and invite them along and they all happily accept. Cas asks if Ellen would want to join them, but Jo informs him that her mom likes to use this time to relax and enjoy the rare time off from the bar. No one can really blame her. 

So Cas and the four ladies head out into the new city to explore and find something interesting to pass the time. Cas uses the walk to get to know Jess better and he discovers she has an amazing sense of humor and could match Meg for her level of sass. The two women have vastly different personalities, but somehow sass works for them both. Jess tells him stories of the brothers and Cas learns a lot more about their personal lives than he expected. Jess does mention that there’s a lot that he would have to ask Dean about if he wants to know more. Cas agrees but also finds it a little weird that Jess assumes Dean would be willing to share personal information with him. There’s no way Dean would actually want to be friends with him let alone good enough friends to share those kinds of things. Cas also knows Dean values his personal life and doesn’t like to share it with the world. Knowing he won’t really get to know Dean better, Cas enjoys the stories of the crazy shenanigans the brothers got up to in their free time. 

They spend the morning walking through the Myriad Botanical Gardens to Cas’ great delight. He has always loved walking around in different gardens seeing all of the beautiful greenery and flowers. To his great surprise, Jo also loves botanical gardens. Looking at the woman and knowing the tough girl attitude she has, Cas never would have thought she would enjoy walking around surrounded by plants. She also knows a great deal about them, which leads to the two of them trading facts back and forth with the different flora. Dorothy chimes in every now and then with the more rarer ones that both Jo and Cas don’t know. He has no idea how these women know so much, but he won't complain about finding people with his same interest. 

After almost two hours Meg grumbles enough to clue them in to the fact that it's probably time to move on. They file out of the gardens and meander through the streets of the city, just enjoying the change in scenery. Every once in a while one of the girls will see a shop that they like and they’ll all go in for a quick look before moving on to the next one. A local music and record store holds their interests for a long while. They all find awesome records that they liked back in their college or high school days and they laugh at how their music taste has changed over the years. It’s only when Jo’s stomach growls do they realize it's way past lunchtime and they should probably find somewhere to eat.

Jo tells them about this amazing food joint that serves waffle sandwiches. Meg is instantly on board and even Cas’ interest is piqued. With no arguments from the others, they walk the two blocks to the restaurant. The place is packed. There's not a single table available and the line is out the door. But the smell of the place is incredible. Cas’ mouth starts to water as he takes in the many dishes on the tables. Apparently he's not the only one if the looks on the other members of his group is anything to go off of. Meg looks like she is ready to murder somebody over waffles. Jess and Dorothy are both looking longingly at a waffle piled high with what looks like tomatoes, spinach, cheese, and a whole bunch of other things. Jo is somewhere in the middle of wanting to murder someone and devour all of the waffle dishes in sight. 

Cas takes a peek at the menu and goes into a slight panic. How on Earth is he supposed to choose only one of these things? They all look amazing. Does he want something savory? Or sweet? A snack like the waffle bites? Or waffle fries? The Peaches N’ Cream catches his eye and he looks around the restaurant to see if anyone has it. Sure enough there are multiple people indulging in the sweet waffle treat and Cas has to admit it looks delicious. He knows he really should go with something more savory since this is their lunch and they haven’t eaten much all day. Who knows when their next meal will be. He debates between the Florentine and the classic of bacon, egg, and cheese for a few minutes before going with the classic. Maybe if he’s lucky Jess or Dorothy will let him try their Florentine. To no one's surprise both Jo and Meg go for one of the sweeter options, the apple pie and cinnamon roll waffles respectively. Cas accuses Meg of really being a closeted cinnamon roll behind her devil-may-care attitude. Of course, her response is to punch him in the arm. Hard. 

Luck is on their side because as soon as they finish ordering a table opens up that can fit all of them. There is another group making their way to the same table but twin death glares from Meg and Jo keep them away. Cas rolls his eyes and silently apologizes to the other group with a what-can-you-do smile. Less than twenty minutes later they have their waffle dishes set in front of them and they dig in immediately. A deep moan escapes Cas as soon as he takes a bite. The bacon is cooked to perfection, the waffle is super fluffy and basically melts in his mouth, and the cheese adds just that little bit extra to make it absolutely amazing. Everyone else seems to have similar reactions to their own dishes and to Cas’ great delight they all share a little bit with each other. The Florentine is amazing with the many different flavors that really should not pair well with a waffle, somehow going incredibly well with each other. Meg’s cinnamon roll waffle is the perfect balance of sweet, but not too sweet, and Jo’s apple pie waffle is heavenly. It doesn’t take long to fill them all up to the point of being stuffed. They take that as their cheque to move on and walk off the tons of calories they just gained. 

As they wander the streets of the city the group debates about what to do next. Since the concert is in a little over three hours they decide to hop on a bus to take them back to the hotel so that they can rest and nap before the show. Jo cackles when the bus shows up at their stop, startling the other members of the group. Cas looks at her curiously and then at the bus she’s pointing at. Jess starts laughing with her and Dorothy tries (and fails) to cover up her snort with a fake cough. Meg and Cas stand at their sides confused as to what is so funny. Once Jo has herself back under control she looks at Cas with a mischievous sparkle in her eye. 

“You should have Dean take you there tomorrow.” Cas follows where her finger is pointing and sees an ad for the National Cowboy and Western Museum. He tilts his head slightly in confusion and squints at her, hoping she will explain more. She does, but not without rolling her eyes fondly at him. “Dean loves everything western and cowboy themed. I don’t remember if he’s been to this museum before, but I do know that he would absolutely love it and would love to take you. You could learn allllll about the history of cowboys.”

“She’s not kidding,” Jess adds. “I have never met someone who knows so much about cowboys and westerns before.”

“Every time the band is back in Lawrence, Dean makes us watch his favorite westerns with him since he doesn’t take them on the road with him,” Dorothy chimes in with a soft smile. 

Still slightly confused, Cas asks, “But why would he want to take  _ me _ with him?”

Dorothy and Jo look at him in shock before silently shaking their heads and loading the bus. Cas watches them go, more confused than ever. 

Jess walks by and stage-whispers, “Because he likes you, silly.”

“Me?” 

She nods her head with an amused smile then follows the others onto the bus. If it weren’t for Meg pushing him gently to the door, Cas probably would have stayed frozen to the spot trying to process the woman’s words. It’s not the first time they’ve told him that Dean likes him, but he’s still not able to understand how a famous rock star could like a boring high school teacher. With a heavy sigh, he plops down in one of the seats. Meg settles next to him while the other three sit across the aisle facing them. 

Quiet murmurs can be heard throughout the bus, people talking quietly with their companions. Cas closes his eyes for a moment of rest, letting the steady rumble of the bus relax him. He lets his mind wander and it’s no surprise when his thoughts lead to Dean. They don’t know each other, yet Cas feels this undeniable pull towards the other man. Before they had met, Cas only saw him as this unattainable rock star that he had a crush on because honestly who wouldn’t? Dean is drop dead gorgeous, and kind, and can sing, and you can obviously tell family is important to the guy. There’s not a single thing Cas can point out about Dean in a negative way. Granted that might be the celebrity crush talking, but even after meeting the singer in person, Cas knows Dean is a genuinely good guy. Ever since the night at the bar, Dean has occupied his thoughts near constantly. Cas has absolutely no idea how to handle it. Jo doesn’t help at all. The blonde is dead set on thinking he and Dean will get together. 

As if his thoughts summoned her, Jo’s phone ringing brings him back to the present. Cas opens his eyes in time to see Jo look at her phone with a small frown before answering. 

“Charlie, what’s up?” 

At the mention of her girlfriend's name Dorothy snaps her head up and looks at Jo. After a few seconds of listening Jo rolls her eyes and motions to Dorothy that Charlie is okay. 

“What do you mean Dean’s being an idiot? That’s just him, Red.” 

Castiel perks up a little bit hearing Dean’s name before he frowns slightly in confusion. 

“More than normal? Why? What happened to set him off?” After a beat Jo’s eyes flick to Cas and then at Meg before lighting up in understanding. Cas still doesn’t understand, so he looks at Meg hoping for some help. She just shrugs and turns back towards the window. 

“Okay yeah I get it now,” Jo continues. “Well you can assure him that they are not actually together in any way besides just being good friends. They’ve known each other since college and have been coming to the bar for almost a year now. I think I would know if they were sleeping together.”

Jo’s words shock Cas. It’s pretty obvious the conversation is about him and Meg. What’s not so obvious (to him) is why they’re needing to tell Dean about their friendship. He’s so lost in his own thoughts trying to sort through everything that he almost misses Jo’s next question. 

“Hey Meg, are you and Cas sleeping together?” she asks much louder than she really needs to. Cas’ face flames with embarrassment; he really hopes no one around them is listening in. 

“Hah no. Been there, tried that, didn’t work. Trust me, it only took one time for us to realize we were better off as friends,” Meg answers bluntly with a sarcastic laugh. She’s not wrong though. There was one night, during their first year of college, where they had a little too much to drink and thought they would have some fun for a night. First kiss was hot and hungry with Cas pressing her into the wall, his body completely covering hers as their lips moved together. From there on, it was all downhill and the morning after was so incredibly awkward that they ended up not speaking for a week. Finally they agreed it was to never happen again and that they would remain friends. And so they did and they have never looked back to wonder about ‘what if’s or ‘what could have been's. They are both happy with where their relationship is now. 

The answer seems to satisfy Jo and she smirks as she talks back into the phone. “Dean, listen to me. They are not dating. They do not have a 'friends with benefits thing' going on either. They are just two friends who are close. It’s not any different than you and I or you and Charlie, okay? Now stop worrying about it and get ready for your show! You have a blue-eyed angel to impress!” 

Cas flushes as he listens to her side of the conversation. He thinks back to this morning when he saw Dean at the elevator. He and Meg did have their arms linked together, like they normally do when they’re walking, and he vaguely remembers her resting her head on his shoulder. It was before either of them had their morning coffee, so both of them were struggling to wake up and were relying on each other to continue standing. If he looked at the situation from an outside perspective, without knowing either of them, a stranger would probably assume that they were a couple. 

_ Is that what Dean thought this morning? Why would he care? Are the others right in assuming that Dean is into Cas? _

They spend the rest of the bus ride in silence and then shuffle to their rooms for a late afternoon nap before the concert. Cas collapses on the bed face first and is out within minutes. His mind is still going a mile a minute but luckily doesn’t keep him up. Instead his mind sends him to a crazy alternate universe where Dean is singing on stage, directly to him, and Cas feels himself being pulled towards the captivating singer. When they’re standing toe to toe with their eyes locked on each other, Dean leans in and Cas meets him halfway. Their lips meet for the briefest of moments before Cas is yanked back to reality by Meg telling him it’s almost time to leave. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished the last chapter!! Thinking of writing an epilogue/time stamp... 
> 
> Next up: Concert Time!!
> 
> Next update will be this weekend, probably Sunday!


	6. DEAN + CAS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Concert time!!

“Oh my god, what is going on???”

“Dean, what is your problem?”

“You’ve been off all day!”

“Seriously! We can’t even get through soundcheck without you messing something up?”

“Someone fix this.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“Don’t look at me! I don’t know what's going on.”

Dean growls in agitation. “You know I can hear you all, right? Please, shut up!”

Surprisingly, the three other band members have the decency to look a little chastised. Sam recovers the quickest and returns his anger in the form of a signature Sammy bitch face.

“Don’t get mad at us when you’re the one struggling all day to do something we have done thousands of times.” Sam takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. When he speaks next his voice is much softer. “What's going on, Dean? I have never seen you like this before and we’re worried.”

Dean curses his brother’s ability to give persuasive puppy dog eyes even though they are all grown up now. It's not fair that Sammy knows Dean can’t say no to those eyes. Never has, and Sam has used it to his advantage for as long as Dean can remember. Even if Dean knows he will cave eventually, he fights off the urge to spill everything to his brother. It’s embarrassing. He should not be distracted by thoughts of a guy he has only met one time. The fact that said guy is probably in a relationship, with a beautiful woman already, doesn’t help at all. Dean had hoped that knowing Cas was off limits would have stopped his feelings from growing for the other man. Apparently not. If anything, the thought of Cas with another person has sparked his jealous side. Which in turn, caused his feelings for the teacher to grow exponentially. To the point where he can’t focus during soundcheck and keeps messing up songs that he knows by heart. He is tripping over wires (or nothing at all, but he will never admit that) and crashing into his fellow band members. And clearly they have had enough. 

Risking another glance at Sam’s puppy dog eyes, Dean releases a heavy sigh and resigns himself to coming clean. 

“It’s Cas.”

“Cas?” Sam asks. “What does he have to do with any of this?”

“Oh shit,” Charlie mutters from behind them. Dean turns to see a crestfallen yet understanding look on the redhead's face. 

“Yeah, can’t seem to get the guy out of my head,” Dean admits. “It’s not like the guy is even available! I mean, Charlie, you saw them this morning in the elevator. He had a beautiful woman hanging off of him. I never even stood a chance.”

“Are you sure that they’re actually together though? Cas did say he wasn’t seeing anyone when we were at the Roadhouse,” she says. 

“Oh I’m sorry, were you looking at a different elevator? Did you not see the gorgeous man and woman right in front of us?” Dean snaps defensively and probably much harsher than what is necessary. Charlie flinches back slightly and Dean instantly feels bad. “Shit. I’m sorry, Charles. You didn’t deserve that.”

Charlie wouldn’t be Charlie if she didn’t bounce back immediately. “Damn right I didn’t, handmaiden! I still think you’re wrong though.”

“Doesn’t matter. Even if he is single, still doesn’t mean he would want me,” Dean sulks. 

A small fist connects with his arm. Repeatedly. 

“Ow! Okay! Enough!” He shouts, rubbing his arm and pouting at the fiery redhead he calls his best friend. 

“You. Don’t. Get. To. Talk. About. Yourself. Like. That.” Charlie says, emphasizing each word with another hit to his upper arm. 

“Charlie!”

“No. You listen to me, Dean Winchester. You are the most amazing man I have ever met. You are so incredibly selfless and kind, it shouldn’t even be possible with everything you’ve been through in life. Your biggest goal is to provide for everyone around you and make sure they are happy and healthy. Somehow, you don’t count yourself as someone who deserves to be really happy. Yes, I know you are content with where your life is right now, with the band's success and everything. But I also know you crave the love and comfort that comes with being in a relationship. Yes, you are happy but you could be really  _ really _ happy if you just allowed yourself to be. I really do think that if you give yourself a chance, without sabotaging every good thing that comes your way, you and Cas might be really good for each other.”

Dean looks at his determined best friend standing in front of him. He has never been more grateful to have her in his life. She knows him better than anyone, even Sam, and knows he needs a swift kick in the ass sometimes to set him straight. Well not ‘straight’ in this case, but you know what he means. He pulls her into a tight hug and relaxes when she returns it with arms wrapped tight around his waist. Dean leans back just enough to give her a fond kiss on the forehead before pulling her back in for another hug. Eventually they split and Dean can still see that determined look in her eye. 

“Okay, if Cas really is single I promise you I will not sabotage myself and I will actually see if something could work between us,” he states, meaning every word. If Charlie really believes he deserves this, then he will give it his best shot. 

“Really?” she asks with an excited grin, basically jumping up and down. 

“Yes, really,” Dean replies. “Remember, it’s only if he is single!”

“Of course!” Charlie agrees, before pulling out her phone and quickly dialing someone’s number. 

“Who are you calling?” he asks suspiciously. 

Charlie waves him off and waits for the other person to answer. 

“Jo!”

Instantly Dean is set on edge. Why is Charlie calling Jo? Right now of all times?

“I need your help! Dean is being an idiot,” Charlie says into the speaker. 

_ Oh hell no _ . 

Dean is not letting both of his adopted little sisters gang up on him about this. He reaches for the phone, but Charlie is too quick and slips away from him. 

“Yeah, I know that. I mean more than normal.” Charlie listens for a moment before talking again. “It’s about Cas. We saw him this morning with a woman and Dean is convinced that they’re together and that he doesn’t stand a chance now.”

Dean rolls his eyes and resigns himself to the current events. He looks around for Sam or Benny, but the two seem to have disappeared. Probably a good thing. Dean doesn’t need more people witnessing his humiliation. 

“Oh really? That’s awesome!” Charlie exclaims, drawing Dean’s attention once more. This time when he reaches for the phone he succeeds and quickly puts it to his ear. 

“Jo? It’s me.” He can almost hear her eye roll in response. “I’m assuming you told Charlie that they’re not actually together? Are you absolutely certain?”

“ _ Hey Meg _ ,” Jo’s voice comes through the speaker. 

_ Meg? _

“ _ Are you and Cas sleeping together?”  _

“Jo! What the hell?” Dean exclaims. He can’t quite make out the response to Jo’s question so he waits patiently (nervously). 

“ _ Dean, listen to me. They are not dating. They do not have a 'friends with benefits thing' going on either. They are just two friends who are close. It’s not any different than you and I or you and Charlie, okay? Now stop worrying about it and get ready for your show! You have a blue-eyed angel to impress! _ ” Jo finally says. 

He takes in her words for a minute, waiting for her to say she’s joking. It never comes. 

“You’re sure?” Dean asks, still in disbelief. 

“ _ Yes dumbass, I’m sure, _ ” she says fondly. 

“Thanks Jo.”

Dean ends the call and hands Charlie her phone back. She watches him with a thrilled smile on her face. He returns the smile, his more sheepish but still excited. The redhead bursts into a squeal and throws herself into his arms. Dean chuckles as he clutches her tight. Relief flows through every vein in his body. If he lets himself have this, this thing with Cas, and it somehow magically works out, then he will owe both Charlie and Jo big time. 

Sam and Benny find their way back to the stage just in time to see the other two pull apart. Dean smiles awkwardly at the two men. He knows he owes them an apology but he also knows they’ll just be happy that he’s out of his funky mood. They both smile at him knowingly -- how everyone knows his business he doesn’t know or care at this point -- and everyone gets back into their positions to finish out their sound check. 

Everything goes smoothly from there and the band soon finds themselves back in the bus eating dinner an hour before they take the stage. Their opening band is already out there pumping up the crowd for them.

This year they have three different bands opening for them depending on where they are in the country. This is the first time with this particular band and from what Dean has heard from the sound check earlier they’re not half bad. He had the chance to talk to the lead singer and discovered a shared passion for classic cars. They quickly exchanged numbers so they could continue the conversation at a later time. Dean really hopes some big shot producer will take notice of this band and give them a shot at their own record deal and potential tour. 

With half an hour to go, the four of them leave the tour bus and head backstage. They get the chance to watch the opener for a few minutes before the stage crew starts to transform the stage. Sam makes sure they treat his drum set with the utmost care as always and Charlie double checks everything is hooked up to her keyboards correctly. Benny and Dean do a last minute tuning session with their many guitars before setting them in their respective stands. Once everyone is satisfied their instruments are ready, they stand just off stage waiting for their cue.

Dean looks out to the gathered crowd hoping to catch sight of a certain dark haired angel. He knows it’s nearly impossible to pick a single person out of the mass, but a man can dream. 

“Which side are they on this time?” Sam asks. Dean's grateful his brother is willing to ask the question he himself has been begging to ask for the last ten minutes. 

“The family and VIP members are on the right side up a few rows,” one of the stage managers answers helpfully. 

Sadly they are standing on the right side of the stage, blocked by wall and curtain. Dean internally curses and resigns himself to waiting until they get on stage to look for the one person he’s hoping to impress that night.

The lights out in the venue flash, signaling a five minute warning. That’s when the nerves hit Dean. Every time without fail Dean’s stomach comes alive with butterflies at the five minute warning mark. He chugs the rest of his water bottle, which is instantly replaced with a fresh one, and shakes out his hands.

Sam stretches his arms and takes off the jacket he’s wearing to reveal a simple black t-shirt he always wears for a show. The moose sweats like no other and will have to change his shirt halfway through the show; black just hides the sweat the best.

Dean looks down at his favorite pair of tight dark wash jeans, his own black t-shirt and a deep red button down with the sleeves rolled up. He knows he will get hot at some point -- it’s inevitable with the bright lights constantly shining down on them -- but Dean likes having the extra layer to start out. It’s a comfort thing. Plus he knows he looks damn good in the red shirt. 

Suddenly everything goes dark except for the little red lights on the stage floor directing the band members out to their positions. Dean takes a deep breath and strides out to his mark. Reaching out, he finds the mic stand waiting for him and clutches on, waiting for Sam to start the count. Just seconds later he hears the quiet tap of drumsticks and starts counting along mentally. 

The stage lights flash on just as the band hits the opening notes of their first song. Noise from the crowd battles the noise from the stage, the people screaming back at them and clapping their hands already. Dean can’t see too much but he can picture what it looks like. A sea of people with smiles on their face waiting to sing along to every song.

A smirk works its way to Dean's face and he looks down at the people closest to the stage. He can just barely make out the individual people. Right before he starts singing he sends a wink towards the crowd, which just intensifies the screams, then jumps right into the lyrics. 

Dean is not one to do a job half assed. He is either all in or all out. When it comes to performing on stage he is most certainly all in. People paid a lot of money to come see them for one night. The least he can do is give them a show that makes their money worth it.

Dean runs from side to side singing his heart out. He jumps up and down to keep the energy in the crowd going. There are even attempts at doing some fun spin moves. He knows he looks like a complete dork, but the crowd loves it and he’s just up there having fun. 

The singer does his best to include the other members of the band in his antics too. He and Benny have a mini guitar battle, going back and forth with free styling while Sam keeps the beat. Dean runs up to Charlie’s keyboard station and messes around a little before she shoos him away. Sammy would murder him if Dean even dared touch his precious drum set, so Dean goes behind his brother and jumps up and down, hyping the crowd up as Sam goes off on his solo. Dean lives for the thrill of performing. He feeds off of the cheering crowd and gives them all he has. 

If Dean just so happens to spend more time on the right side of the stage, no one really needs to know the reason why. Of course, all of his family and friends could probably guess.

* * *

“This is incredible,” Cas breathes as they walk into the stadium. He watches hundreds of people wander around the lobby area with excitement and anticipation filling the air. There are booths set up everywhere, some selling food and drinks while others are selling merchandise. He looks at a booth selling shirts and wonders if it would be too weird to buy one for himself.

“Right? Just wait until the band starts, the crowd becomes insane,” Jo replies. Cas tries to avert his eyes so that she doesn’t catch him looking longingly at the booth, but he's too slow and a smirk forms on her face. “You wanna get a shirt with Dean’s face on it, Cas?”

He glowers at her before mumbling a quick no. In turn, Jo laughs out loud, drawing the attention of the other members in their group.

“What's so funny?” Dorothy asks.

“Cas was looking at the shirts over there and I was giving him a hard time about wanting a shirt with Dean’s face on it,” Jo explains happily. Cas can feel the heat rising up his neck and really hopes no one notices, especially Jo and Meg.

Of course, Meg notices right away, “Aww, does my little Clarence wanna buy a shirt to support his boy toy?”

Cas glares at his friend before crossing his arms and pouting. He knows he is a grown man and shouldn’t act like such a child, but he's already self conscious enough. Luckily Jess seems to take pity on him.

“Don’t let them get to you, Cas. We all get shirts before the show anyways. It's tradition.”

He stares at her in disbelief before turning on Jo. “Why would you give me such a hard time about wanting a shirt then?”

Jo laughs again before finally taking pity on him. “I’m sorry. Really I am! I just couldn’t help myself! You should have seen your face!”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” he grumbles before following Jess and Dorothy to the t-shirt booth. Cas finds a simple gray short sleeve with the  _ Purgatory Souls _ written across the chest in a cool font. On the back it has all of the tour dates for all of the shows along with the tour name. It's simple, yet has proof that he went to the actual show to get it. And it most certainly does  _ not _ have Dean Winchester’s face on it. Cas does have to admit the man’s face looks almost as good on the shirt as it does in real life. Meg buys the tank top version just to spite him of course. Once everyone has purchased their shirts they take the time to change into them to show their support. 

“Where are we supposed to go now?” Meg asks.

“Umm not sure, lets see.” Jo looks at her ticket.

“Section 17,” Ellen replies, then swiftly leads the way to the correct entrance.

They step out into the stadium and Cas’ breath catches at the sight. A huge stage takes up the majority of the floor area, the rest of the space filled with hundreds of people walking around trying to find space for themselves. Cas knows it has to be pretty cool to be that close to the band, but he’s not sure he would actually enjoy being a part of ‘the pit’ as Jo called it. The rest of the stadium is huge. There are two levels spanning all around and even more people trying to find their seats. The stage itself is pretty impressive. Lights and speakers are hung everywhere and countless instruments are scattered around waiting for their owners to join them on stage. Cas also notices three huge screens up above that will hopefully provide a closer view of the band.

Ellen leads them down to row six and they take their seats. Cas can’t believe that they have such good seats. They’re just to the right of the stage, far enough away to be able to see the whole thing but still close enough to be able to see everything clearly. Ellen, Jo, and Meg sit to Cas’ left while Jess and Dorothy settle to his right. Cas can barely stay still as he sits. He is too pumped up on anticipation; he feels like he might go a little crazy. Luckily Jess saves the day once again and pulls him into a conversation with her and Dorothy about the newest books they’re all reading.

Books. Books are good, he can talk about books forever.

The trick works and before Cas knows it the lights flash in the stadium, signaling a five minute warning. He looks up from the conversation and notices how much fuller the stadium is now. The entire floor space is completely packed and the majority of the seats in the surrounding areas are all taken. Jess informs him that there is an opening band that will play for about an hour before Dean’s band will take the stage. 

Cas enjoys the opening band a lot and makes a mental note to check out more of their stuff at a later date. There is a twenty minute intermission to allow the stage crew to transition the instruments and set for Dean’s band, so everyone uses those precious minutes wisely. The girls take off to the bathroom leaving Ellen to hold down the seats and Cas to go grab waters for everyone. It's really hot in the stadium and according to Jo it's only going to get hotter. Meg snickered at that comment though so Cas isn’t sure if Jo is just giving him a hard time about Dean again or if it really will get hotter. Either way the water will be needed for sure.

The lines are ridiculous, so by the time Cas gets back to their seats with the waters the warning lights flash again. Butterflies swirl around in his stomach. He gets to see Dean on stage soon. Jess must see the look of awe on his face because she gently squeezes his knee and sends him a wink. Cas returns the gesture with a gummy smile and tries to relax back into his seat. The next five minutes seem to take forever. 

Suddenly everything goes dark and screams fill the air. 

Lights on the stage flash back on, momentarily blinding Castiel, and music fills the stadium. 

The whole experience is mesmerizing. The lights. The music.  _ The people. _

Dean dances across the stage. It is unbelievable how confident and at home he looks up there. The light shining off of him, Cas is close enough to make out Dean’s smile too. The man just looks so happy to be singing in front of thousands of people.  _ And his voice _ . Cas knows the man has an amazing voice, he's even heard it close up in person before, but this is something else. Maybe Cas is just getting caught up in the exhilaration of the concert, but he swears he falls in love with Dean Winchester right there and then. 

The man is an absolute Adonis. The sparkling green eyes, the sexy smirk and smile, the freckles just barely visible, the slight sheen of sweat covering his skin. Jo was right, it did get hotter. Much, much hotter. 

It’s over far too quickly, the band members waving goodbye to the fans as they exit the stage. Cas is so disappointed it's over he slumps back into his seat with a slight frown. Jess looks over at him and laughs before leaning over.

“There is an encore, silly. We have three more songs,” she whispers. Cas lights up like a kid on Christmas, causing the blonde to laugh again. He takes in the screaming fans surrounding them asking for the band to come back to the stage. This whole experience is something that he will never forget. He will forever be thankful that he went to the bar that day for karaoke and got the chance to meet Dean. 

Speaking of the lead singer, Cas can see Dean poking his head out from the side of the stage. The man has the audacity to look surprised that everyone wants them to come back out. He takes a step out and points a finger back at himself as if asking them if they’re talking about him. The screams just get louder.

Dean takes a couple more steps out towards the center of the stage then quickly hurries back the way he came. The crowd is a mixture of booing and laughing that quickly turns back into cheers when Dean comes back. This time dragging his brother out with him. Sam pretends to be annoyed when Dean pushes him towards the drums but settles down in his seat. A simple drum beat starts up and Dean rushes back off stage, returning moments later with Charlie in tow. He sets the redhead up at her keyboard station and runs back off stage. Charlie joins Sam’s beat with a fun melody.

Dean appears again looking very confused, Cas can’t tell if it's just for show or not, before disappearing once again. From the opposite side of the stage Benny appears with his guitar, looking both ways before stepping out fully. He starts to strum along with Charlie and Sam, causing Dean to appear looking exasperated. Benny does a small shrug with a cheeky grin while Dean pouts and stomps to center stage. Cas can’t help but laugh at the band's antics. 

The last song Cas recognizes as one of the more popular and well known hits. It’s slower, but so beautiful. The lyrics are wonderfully written and remind Cas of his love for poetry. It’s only seconds into the song before the crowd starts holding up their phones with the flashlight on and swaying side to side. Cas and the group join in and soon the whole stadium is flooded by tiny lights sparkling like stars in the dark. The sight is breathtaking and if Cas starts to tear up towards the end, well no one needs to know. 

Dean thanks the crowd one last time before they all file off, waving and blowing kisses out to the sea of fans. Cas watches them go and something breaks inside of him. It’s over. The show is over. When is the next time he will ever get the opportunity to do something like this again? A sense of dread settles in his stomach. 

A hand shakes his shoulder and Cas looks over to see Meg and Jo looking at him, concern clearly written on their faces. 

“You alright there, Clarence?” Meg asks gently. 

He forces a smile on his face, not wanting his friends to worry about him, “Of course, just can't believe it’s already over.” It’s a half truth, but seems to do the trick since both women accept it. 

“Don’t forget we get to go backstage now to meet up with them!” Jo reminds him. 

The butterflies are back, battling with dread for dominance. They seem to settle somewhere in the middle and leave Cas extremely nervous. He gets to see Dean again, in person, close up.

Cas has no idea what’s going to happen. His friends are convinced the two of them like each other, but Cas isn’t sure if that’s enough. He’s not the kind of guy that has a one night stand and is able to move on from it the next day. He really hopes that’s not what Dean wants from him. Cas would love to spend more time with the singer and get to know him better. If that were to lead to something more, then Cas would consider it. Maybe for Dean he would break his no one night stands rule. The man is a rock star after all. 

They wait at their seats as the sea of fans starts to disappear out the doors. Cas watches the stage crew tear apart the set and pack up the instruments. It seems like a robotic process, as if having witnessed the show was nothing special to them. He realizes it probably wasn’t anything special to them. Even if they worked for the venue and not Dean’s band, they hear concerts all the time. It’s not anything special to them.

Cas frowns slightly at the thought. How can anyone not think Dean Winchester is special? 

“Alright, y’all ready to head backstage?” Ellen asks, dragging Cas out of his head. The older woman leads the way down the stairs to the ground level. Cas follows slightly behind everyone else, his anxiety kicking up another level. Jess takes notice and drops back. She loops her arm through his and holds on tight.

“What's going on in that head of yours, Cas?” she asks gently.

“I really like him, Jess,” he admits.

“I know you do and if it makes you feel any better, I have it on very good authority that he really likes you too,” Jess says with a twinkle in her eye.

Cas looks at her, still a hint of doubt lingering in the back of his mind. “Really?”

“Absolutely. Sam calls me right before every show and tonight he was telling me how during soundcheck earlier Dean was so distracted that he couldn’t even remember the words he had written himself. It took a phone call to Jo, which you might remember, to sort the guy out. Sam said he has never seen Dean smile that big or be that excited for a show before, and it was all because one certain person would be out in the crowd tonight,” she confides, smiling brightly.

“Charlie also said he really, really likes you too,” Dorothy chimes in from Cas’ other side. He hadn’t even noticed her dropping back to join them.

He also didn’t notice Meg stopping and looking at him. “So for once in your life Clarence, let yourself have this. Let yourself have something good that you truly want.”

“And if he hurts you, I will personally kick his ass,” Jo adds from behind Meg.

Cas looks around at all of the amazing women he is lucky to now call his friends. He’s not sure what he did to deserve all of them in his life, but he is incredibly grateful. If all of them are telling him that he can really have this, then who is he to deny it? It's worth a shot at least.

“Thank you,” he says sincerely. They all nod at him, satisfied they got their point across.

The group follows Ellen behind the stage on the lookout for the band members. 

That's when he sees him. Leaning against a giant black box with a half empty water bottle in his hand, his head thrown back in laughter at something Charlie said. His black shirt plastered to his skin from sweat, but showing off his arms beautifully. The sight takes Cas’ breath away.

Before he can second guess himself he takes off at a run. Dean sees him and the most radiant smile Cas has ever seen appears on the singer’s face. Cas launches himself into Dean’s open arms, his own wrapping tightly around the man's neck. Dean's arms tighten around his waist and he buries his face between Cas’ neck and shoulder.

Everything else fades away.

It's just the two of them.

Cas loses all concepts of time. He could stay like this forever. The two of them fit so perfectly together and Cas feels so completely  _ right _ . It feels like home. Safe and comfortable. 

“Heya Cas,” Dean mumbles into his skin, causing shivers to shoot through Cas’ whole body.

“Hello Dean,” he whispers back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright y'all I have one more chapter for you (all about the boys actually together finally!!) and then this is done! It should be up by Thursday!! Thank you so much for reading along!


	7. DEAN

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FLUFF!!

Dean can’t stop staring at Cas. He has tried. Every time Jo catches him staring at the blue-eyed man, she punches him in the arm. He is going to have one major bruise in the morning.

It’s not his fault though. Cas is absolutely gorgeous and doesn’t even realize it. The way his smile lights up the whole room. The little nose scrunches he does when he's laughing. And his eyes. Dean just can’t get enough of them. So yeah, no one can really say it's his fault for always staring at Cas.

The problem is, he can't stop touching him either. Ever since that hug,  _ that wonderful amazing hug _ , Dean always has to be touching Cas. Whether it's a hand grazing the small of his back, or a gentle hand resting on his knee, or a (very long) pat on the shoulder in passing. Dean can’t stop! Every time he does make physical contact with Cas the man literally melts into the touch, which in turn melts Dean’s heart. 

The whole group decided to go out to dinner for burgers after the show, but Dean really wants to get Cas away so that he can have him all to himself for a while. Who knows the next time he will get the chance to see the guy? Dean is grateful for the food though, running back and forth on stage for a couple hours is hard work and a man needs to eat. The burgers are good -- not as amazing as Ellen’s of course, but still good -- and if the quiet moans coming from Cas every time he takes a bite are any suggestion, Dean would bet Cas agrees. Even Sam ordered a burger! A veggie burger, but still a burger!

Finally, after what seems like hours, they make their way back to the hotel. Dean wipes his hands on his jeans trying to get rid of the built up sweat. He would love more than anything to reach over and grab Cas’ hand, but he’s not a hundred percent sure he's allowed to do that yet. So he keeps his hands to himself, but walks as close as he possibly can so that their shoulders brush with every step. It’s only when they get to the hotel lobby that Dean realizes he has no idea how to invite Cas up to his room without it sounding like he's just asking for sex. Which he's not! He really just wants more time with the other man. Dean is so far in his thoughts that he almost misses the interaction between Meg and Cas.

“Alright Clarence, give me the key and I’ll see you in the morning,” the fiery brunette demands, holding out her hand palm up. 

Seeming to not process her words fully, Cas reaches into his pocket to grab his wallet. Only when he's pulling the key out does he realize what his friend said. “Wait, why will you see me in the morning? We are sharing a room, Meg.”

“Cas, I know you’re not actually that dense. Just give me the key and go spend time with Ken Doll over there,” she jerks her head in Dean’s direction. Both men flush and avoid eye contact with anybody and everybody. Of course, that doesn’t stop everyone else from laughing at their expense. They all say their good-nights, people disappearing in the elevator and stairwell until just Dean and Cas remain in the lobby.

Shifting awkwardly, Dean brings an arm up and rubs at the back of his neck still refusing to look up at Cas. The silence drags on, only getting more and more awkward. Finally, Dean forces himself to look over at the other man to find him already staring back. Dean gets lost in those blue eyes once again. It's only when one of the hotel employees clears their throat that Dean snaps out of the trance.

“Uh right,” he mumbles. “Um would… do you want to come up to my room?”

“I would love to, Dean,” Cas replies with a small smile.

“It's okay if you don't want to! I completely understand. I mean it's late and you probably want to sleep instead of hanging out with me and…”

“Dean. Really, I would love to spend more time with you,” Cas interrupts his ramble with a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Really?” Dean cringes at the way it comes out. Like he is some kid that just got told they can have ice cream before bed  _ and _ stay up past their bedtime. He doesn’t want to sound too desperate and scare the guy away before he even gets the chance to talk to him. 

Cas gives him a reassuring smile and nods his head. Not wanting to wait too long that he loses his nerve or Cas changes his mind, Dean pushes the up button for the elevator. Which takes forever to arrive. The silence is still awkward and Dean has no idea how to make it better. Finally the doors slide open and the two of them walk in standing side by side, just close enough for their arms to brush. To Dean’s great surprise Cas reaches over and intertwines their fingers together. Dean looks over in shock and is greeted with the most adorable gummy smile from Cas.

“Is this okay, Dean?” he asks quietly, as if he too is not entirely sure of what they’re doing.

“Yeah, yeah it's okay,” Dean replies with a happy smile of his own. The silence returns, except this time it's comfortable.

Unfortunately it doesn’t last long and the awkward silence returns as soon as the two of them step into Dean’s room. Looking for anything to help break the ice, Dean spots the mini bar and turns to Cas, only to find the other man mere inches away. Dean can’t help but glance down at the pair of soft, full lips. He quickly swipes his tongue out to wet his own lips which catches Cas’ eye, and now they’re both staring at each other's lips.

Cas starts to lean in just slightly and Dean follows his lead. But his cock-blocking brain reminds him he doesn’t just want a one night stand from this amazing man.

Using all of his inner strength, Dean takes two giant steps backwards and tries really hard to ignore the hurt look that flashes over Cas’ face. “Um right… Would you like something to drink?” Dean asks awkwardly.

“Water would be nice, thank you,” Cas answers, sounding so small that it breaks Dean’s heart. He did that. He is the reason Cas sounds so sad. While he thinks about how he can make this situation better, Dean grabs two water bottles from the mini fridge and hands one to Cas. Dean then takes a seat on the edge of the bed and pats the space next to him. Cas watches him warily before shuffling forward and settling a good foot away from Dean. The distance feels like miles and Dean needs to fix that immediately. He turns so that he has one leg up on the bed and is facing Cas so that he can give the man his full attention.

Searching for something to fill the silence, Dean says the first thing that comes to mind. “So you’re an English teacher?”

Cas nods his head. “Yes.”

Despite the short answer Dean feels like this is a safe topic, so he continues. “Why did you choose to be a teacher?”

“I actually went to school originally to be an accountant,” Cas admits.

“You're kidding? Actually, no, I could totally see you being an accountant. You had that whole sexy accountant vibe going for you when we met at the karaoke night. What changed your mind?” Dean asks, hoping the question will distract from his comment. 

“Honestly? I absolutely hated it. It was just so boring and uninteresting,” Cas explains. “It was a whole bunch of rules and no creativity in it. Don’t get me wrong, English has a magnitude of rules as well, but it's the creative side of things that really drew me in.”

“That makes sense; that's why I got into the whole music thing in the first place.”

“Exactly! I remember loving my high school English classes. I could write these made up stories that I enjoyed writing, and get a grade for them. It helped that my teacher was pretty amazing and always encouraged me and my writing. She's the main reason I got so into poetry.” Cas blushes at the admission, catching Dean’s attention.

With a sly smirk he nudges Cas in the side. “You like poetry, Cas?”

Cas glares at him, but there is no real heat behind the gorgeous blue eyes so Dean knows the man’s not actually upset.

“I do, yes. It is my favorite subject to teach.”

“How come?” Dean asks encouragingly.

“The way everyone can connect with it in some way. Everyone has a different perspective, but it all starts with those simple words,” he explains and Dean can see the passion Cas has for this subject.

“Just like music,” Dean adds.

“Yes! Exactly!” Cas blurts out excitedly. He blushes immediately after, clearly not meaning to speak so loud. Dean laughs and reaches out a hand to rest on Cas’ knee, his thumb rubbing small circles comfortingly. 

“I’ll tell you a secret, but you have to promise not to tell anyone, okay?” Dean says. At Cas’ nod, he continues. “I loved poetry and English in school too. It was one of the only subjects I was actually good at.”

“I could’ve guessed that,” Cas replies, looking away. He does rest his hand on top of Dean's though, and that definitely does  _ not  _ send a shiver up Dean’s arm.

“Yeah and why is that?” he challenges.

“Your lyrics.” 

Now it's Dean's turn to blush.

“They are so beautifully written. That's actually what drew me to your band in the first place,” Cas admits. “I fell in love with the story your words told and had to know more. It didn’t take long for me to become obsessed and buy all of your songs.”

“Aw man Cas, you sure know how to flatter a guy,” Dean replies, still blushing.

Cas turns his body to mirror Dean’s and reaches up to run his fingers gently through Dean’s hair. “I’m just speaking the truth.”

It takes a moment for Dean’s mind to come back online. “What about you, Cas? Do you write at all? Any poems you have hidden up your sleeves?”

Cas looks down at his sleeves and frowns. “I’m not sure how much I could hide up short sleeves Dean.”

Dean stares at him in shock before realizing the guy is joking. Roaring from laughter, Dean falls back onto the bed holding his stomach. He looks up to see Cas looking over at him with a proud smile.

“Oh man, don't ever change, Cas,” Dean laughs. Cas chuckles and looks around the room, avoiding eye contact.

“Get over here.” Dean gestures for Cas to lay down next to him. After a little hesitation Cas joins him further up the bed. Dean pulls him closer so that Cas’ head rests on his chest and he is able to run fingers through the soft dark hairs at the base of Cas’ neck. They both relax into the position, enjoying the comfortable silence for a few minutes.

“Seriously though, have you written any poems yourself?”

Dean can feel hesitation through the way Cas tenses in his hold. Trying to soothe the other man, Dean rubs his hand up and down his back.

Eventually Cas relaxes more and with a sigh he quietly admits, “Yes. I have written a few poems, but they’re not any good so I don’t show people.”

“I’m sure they’re not as bad as you think. Plus it’s hard to be bad at poetry; if it means something to you then there’s no possible way it can be bad, right? If you had a student who wrote a poem and they said it was awful, would you agree with them?”

“Of course not! If they put thought into it then that’s all that matters,” Cas argues, causing a grin to grow on Dean’s face. 

“Did you put thought into your poems?” Dean asks. He can feel more than hear the grumble Cas releases when he realizes what Dean got him to admit. With another heavy sigh, Cas admits that he did in fact put thought into writing his poems. “And do they mean something to you?”

“Yes,” Cas grumbles while burying his head in Dean’s neck. 

“Then there’s no way they can be bad.”

“You would change your mind if you read them.”

“Then let me read one,” Dean challenges. 

Cas sits up and looks down at him. Dean can see the inner battle going on in Cas’ head. He really hopes the teacher will let him read some of his poems. There’s no way the poems can actually be as bad as Cas thinks they are. Songs Dean has written in the past sound awful to himself, but ended up becoming some of their more popular hits. Everyone is hard on themselves and their own art. 

“Fine, only if you promise not to make fun of me,” Cas finally relents. He moves from the bed to the table where his jacket is thrown over a chair, then reaches in and pulls out his phone to look for his poems. 

Dean takes the chance to give himself a sniff and cringes at the stale scent of dried sweat. He  _ really _ needs a shower. Standing up from the bed himself, he walks over to his bag and grabs a clean pair of sweats and a t-shirt. He looks over at Cas again, takes in the tight pair of dark wash jeans that hug his butt just right, and Dean can’t help but stare. That is until someone clearing their throat causes his eyes to snap up. Cas is watching him with an amused expression on his face and mirth dancing in his eyes. 

“Like something you see?” he teases. 

Dean flushes and averts his eyes.  _ Damn what’s going on with him? _ He usually has no problems with flirting and going after what he wants. Cas is different though. He’s special and Dean wants everything with him. 

“Maybe,” Dean mumbles, embarrassed. Cas chuckles quietly in response. With an exasperated sigh, Dean risks a glance back up and is met with friendly blue eyes and a gummy smile. The sight instantly melts his heart and he releases the tension he was holding. 

“Alright smartass, I’m going to grab a quick shower since I stink, while you find one of your amazing poems for me to read, deal?” Dean says, fully recovered from his embarrassment. 

“I don’t know about amazing, but yeah, deal,” Cas responds. 

Dean sends him a bright satisfied smile. “Do you want a pair of sweats and t-shirt to change into?”

“I’ll take some sweats if you have some. I am quite fond of the shirt I have on though.”

Dean takes a closer look at the shirt Cas is wearing and his smile widens even more. He loves seeing his band's name written across Cas’ chest. It’s almost like the other man is wearing his clothes in a way. At least, that’s what Dean tells himself. The shirt fits him perfectly and the dark gray color makes Cas’ eyes almost appear like they are glowing. All in all Dean loves it. He quietly hands Cas an extra pair of sweats then heads to the bathroom, smiling the whole way. 

After the quickest shower Dean has ever taken in his life, he walks out of the bathroom towel drying his hair. It leaves it all spiked up and messy but he doesn’t really care too much. All he cares about is the gorgeous dark haired man sitting on the bed, propped up against the headboard. Dean can see that the sweats are a little too small since they are practically a second skin on Cas’ thighs.  _ Dear God  _ Dean might need another shower.

“Did you find one?” Dean interrupts his own impolite thoughts.

“If I say no will you forget I wrote poems and we can move on?” Cas asks hopefully with an innocent smile plastered on his face. The guy even bats his eyelashes at Dean for crying out loud!

“Um no, not a chance,” Dean replies while climbing up onto the bed to sit next to Cas. He purposely leaves no room between them so their thighs and arms are pressed together. Cas rolls his head slightly so that it rests on Dean’s shoulder. Dean turns to press a gentle kiss to the top of Cas’ head, causing Cas to hum contently.

“Alright fine, but please don't laugh at me? I know it's not the best,” Cas says quietly, still entirely unsure of himself.

“I promise.”

Cas brings his phone up and starts to hesitantly read. 

“ _ There’s a map on my phone. _

_ That shows where I’m going. _

_ But it doesn’t know where I’ve been. _

_ It doesn’t remember you.” _

Dean lets the words surround him for a moment. Lets them sink in and allows his mind to understand their meaning. He can relate, obviously. Everyone can find a way to relate to words. It can be about an ex lover, a town that used to be called home, or something else left behind.

The two men sit in silence for a moment and Dean can feel Cas start to tense up. Without thinking twice, Dean stands up and walks to his belongings.

“Dean?” Cas calls quietly, confused.

“I want to try something. Do you trust me?” Dean asks after he grabs his guitar.

“Of course.”

Dean starts to strum a simple melody before changing keys and trying again. Once he has something he likes, Dean looks back over at Cas and finds curious blue eyes watching him. With a reassuring smile, Dean continues to play his guitar. After a moment he starts to hum along, changing the melody slightly as he goes to find what he’s looking for. 

“Read it again,” he gently asks Cas. 

As Cas does, Dean plays along, nodding his head and listening. Once Cas finishes Dean continues to play, but this time adding the words Cas wrote. The blue-eyed man watches, amazed, as Dean turns the words into a song so easily. 

“Cas, that’s beautiful, man,” Dean says eventually, when he sets his guitar back down. “I can already see the verses coming together around that chorus. Man, if you would let me use what you have I would be honored to write a song around them.”

“Are you kidding me? That was amazing!” Cas says, easing Dean's nerves before they even arrive. He was slightly worried Cas would take offense to Dean just taking his poem like that. “Dean, I would be the one honored if you somehow took my lame poem and made it into one of your amazing songs.”

“Okay, now wait a minute. Your poem is the absolute farthest thing from lame. I don’t get inspiration from just any poem or written word. Your poem was beautiful and I found a way to relate to it immediately; that's why I wanted to try it with the guitar. If all of the poems you have written are even half that good, I want to hear them. All of them,” Dean states, absolutely determined to make the gorgeous man in front of him see how special he really is. 

“Do you really mean that?” Cas asks quietly, not able to make eye contact. 

With gentle fingers, Dean reaches out and lifts Cas’ chin up just enough so that he can stare into those sparkling pools of blue. “One hundred percent, Cas. I wouldn’t lie to you.”

They continue to stare at each other for who knows how long. Eventually they end up leaning back against the headboard with Cas curled up against Dean's chest and Dean's arm wrapped snugly around him. Silence covers them like a comfortable blanket and they enjoy the other's company, not needing to fill the air with anything else.

Dean could really get used to this. Having an amazing man like Cas tucked under his arm and snuggled against his chest. The easy company of someone he really cares about, despite still not knowing a ton about them. The comfort of just having someone there. He really hopes Cas feels the same way and that Dean isn’t falling hard and fast just to wind up hurt in the end. That thought sours Dean's mood and he must tense up because Cas is moving away to look up at him. 

“Everything okay, Dean?” he asks, concern lacing through his gravelly tone. 

Dean really wants to reassure the other man so that they could get back to cuddling, but a part of him wants to just ask the question that has been driving him insane the last week. With a heavy sigh, Dean sits up fully, which cues Cas to do the same.

Cas reaches out and takes hold of Dean's hand, tangling their fingers together. Dean takes a moment to admire how their hands look. Cas has really nice hands, long slender fingers that fit perfectly between his own. The sight gives him the courage he needs to ask the question. 

“What do you want from this, Cas? Are you just looking for a one night stand? Or a quick fling with a famous rock star so that you can say that you did? Cause I gotta be honest man, I don’t think I could do that,” Dean says quietly, unable to meet Cas’ eyes. The man in question squeezes Dean's hand. 

“Dean, look at me, please?” He looks up and is met with a determined stare. “I promise you, I am not just using you to say that I hooked up with a famous rockstar. That’s not to say that I won’t totally brag about being able to hang out with you, because this is by far the most interesting and exciting thing to happen to me. But I am not using you. I’m not the type of guy to have a one night stand or a quick fling." Cas looks so earnest, Dean could swear he was a lead in a romcom. "I like you, Dean. I like you a lot. And I would love to spend more time with you and get to know you better. If that is as just friends, then I will take it. If it is as more than friends, then I will happily explore that with you. There are no guarantees in life so I can’t say for sure that if we did choose to pursue something more that it would work out. We come from two very very different worlds. You are a famous rock star that travels the majority of the year. I am a high school teacher in a small town in Kansas.”

Dean can feel his heart breaking already. It sounds like Cas doesn’t think they would be able to work out in a relationship. Cas did say that he would love to spend more time with him though and get to know each other better. They can be friends and Dean can be happy with that. Maybe not right away, but eventually he will be happy to have Cas in his life in any capacity that he can get. 

“Dean, I have no idea where you are with this whole thing, but I will honestly say that if you wanted to try to pursue a relationship with me I would happily agree and would be willing to give it a shot,” Cas continues. 

_ Wait what? Cas does want a relationship with him?? _

“Yes.”

“Really?” Cas asks, hope filling his eyes and a gummy smile lighting up his face. 

“Yes. One hundred percent yes," Dean reassures. "Cas, please let me take you on a date and get to know you better. Please, let me prove to you that you deserve the world and I will do my absolute best to give it to you. Please make my entire year and agree to go out with me?” Dean all but begs. There is no way he is letting this opportunity slip through his hands.

Cas laughs a happy chuckle and leans forward to rest his forehead against Dean's. “Yes, I would love to go out with you, Dean Winchester.”

Nothing could have prepared Dean for the happiness that bubbles up inside of him at hearing those words. Without thinking twice he tilts his head just enough to allow their lips to meet. It’s just a slight brush, asking for permission. Cas immediately deepens the kiss, pressing their lips together more firmly. Dean gets lost in the sensation and loses all sense of time.

Somehow Cas ends up straddling his thighs and sits firmly in his lap with his hands tangled in Dean's hair. One of Dean's hands grips Cas’ hip tightly while the other runs through Cas’ soft hair.

Eventually they break apart and share the air between them, taking deep breaths. Cas rests his forehead on Dean’s again with his eyes closed. Dean takes the opportunity to study the man above him. The strong jawline and high cheekbones with the light stubble, paired with the plush pink lips. Dean could stare at him all day and never get tired of the view. 

Cas detangles himself and they reposition to lay on the bed with Cas’ head once again pillowed on Dean’s chest. They enjoy the comfort of the quiet room, content to just lay with the other. 

“I know what we should do for our first date,” Cas’ deep voice breaks the silence. 

“Oh yeah? What’s that?” Dean asks quietly. 

“Go to the National Cowboy and Western Museum.”

Dean can’t help the bark of laughter that escapes him. “That sounds perfect.”

Cas lifts his head to give Dean one of his beautiful gummy smiles and Dean's heart melts at the sight. 

“God, Cas, I think I love you.”

“I think I love you too.”

-end-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh I can’t believe this is done (yes, I know that ending was incredibly cheesy, but I don’t care)! Thank you so much for all of y’alls support and encouragement of this story, honestly can’t say how much that all means to me! 
> 
> Cas’ poem is not mine, some of y’all might recognize it as one of [Alma’s](https://www.instagram.com/p/BrAxtUVFC8u/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link) and everyone should go check out their stuff!
> 
> Once again thank you so much to my amazing beta, [Orange_Coyote](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orange_Coyote/pseuds/Orange_Coyote) , for making this actually readable and the encouragement I needed to finish this. Also I would not have known about the Western and Cowboy Museum without them. 
> 
> And thank you SO MUCH to [Hadrianus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hadrianus) for the amazing prompt that I fell in love with and inspired this story! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it :)
> 
> For more amazing prompts and amazing people everyone should come join us on the [ProfoundBond Discord](https://discord.gg/profoundbond) ! You won’t regret it, I promise :)


End file.
